The Emerald Knight
by queenybee
Summary: AU -A Rick and Lisa story. Altered timelines and events. Will update summary as story progresses
1. Chapter 1

Rick slid into the seat of the still warm flight simulator. He was glad to find that the simulator didn't have the usual stale smell of sweat and was pleasantly surprised to find a lingering clean almost slightly floral scent left behind from the previous occupant.

As usual, Rick was curious to see how the previous occupant of the simulator had fared and tapped a few key codes that he had "borrowed" from an unsuspecting maintenance engineer. Taking a quick glance at the records log, he noted the initals the kill rate and efficiency score. Impressed with the numbers, Rick let out a low whistle and muttered to himself, "Again EGH, eh? Who are you?".

Shaking his head as to the mystery of "EGH", Rick strapped himself into the simulator and went through the standard pre flight checks before notifying the simulator technician that he was ready for takeoff. Rick quickly forgot about the previous occupant of the simulator as he came face to face with a number of Zentraedi battle pods and quickly redirected his attention to dispatching the pods as fast as he could.

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><p>Under a stream of hot water, Rick let the tensions of the day roll off of him and he let his muscles relax under the water's heat. As the water beat down on him, he let his mind wander back to the mysterious pilot "EGH" and wondered which of the wild rumors were true of the pilot's identity. The logins for this pilot started showing up a few weeks after the Vermillion team's escape from the Zentraedi. No one would have noticed them until Max had made a comment in the locker room about someone beating his latest score in the simulator. When no one fessed up to being the owner of the highscore, jokes were made as to who the mystery pilot was.<p>

Most pilots thought that the initials were just one of the logins that the maintanance teams used while recalibrating the flight simulators. Some other pilots gave the wild idea out that it was someone's kid using the simulators as a gaming device while others thought it might be one of the officers on board the ship. The strange thing was no one could figure out who's initial they stood for and so the mystery remained.

Rick had a bit more details to go on as he accessed the log records on multiple occaisions to find that this mysterious pilot, used the simulators at the weirdest hours. There was no pattern to the timing of when EGH and there was no records of seeing anyone coming in and out of the simulator room doors at those hours. Rick had tried to ask Roy about it once but got a fairly evasive answer from Roy who basically told him not to go digging around trying to solve the mystery. Rick secretly thought the mystery pilot was either Roy or Max because the flying done by the pilot was that good but didn't understand why either of them would hide such a thing.

Shutting off the shower and towelling off, Rick quickly finished drying off and changed into his civilian clothes, ready to return to his room to get some sleep.

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><p>In the officer's quarters a lone figure walked through the corridors to her room. It was late as usual, most of the crew sleeping while the skeleton night crew kept watch. Lisa let out a long sigh as she unlocked her door and entered her apartment. It was the completion to another long, stress filled day. She couldn't wait to put on her comfy cotton pajamas and hoped that her fatigue would keep her from suffering from the insomnia that recently started to plague her.<p>

She didn't want to admit to anyone but her capture and escape from Dolza's ship along with Rick, Max and Ben still gave her nightmares. Remembering how easily the Zentraedi destroyed that planet and the number of ships in their arsenal all weighed on her mind. She didn't understand how the senior officers on board were so easily dismissive of her report about the true strength of Dolza's forces and wondered how the SDF-1 could defeat a foe like that and hoped that the Earth's defense force was making good use of their time to come up with a plan to defeat the Zentraedi and defend the planet. Lisa didn't think it would be enough and even though the top brass on board hadn't wanted to believe her or the other POWs regarding what they saw, Lisa knew she couldn't stand by idle and do nothing about it. Luckily Captain Gloval was of her same mind and between the two of them and Dr. Lang's research and development team they hoped to make a difference.

The Zentraedi's obvious firepower was not the only thing that weighed on Lisa's mind.

As much as she tried not to, her mind wandered back to the kiss she and Rick had been forced to share in front of the Zentraedi. As horrified as the Zentraedi had been by the kiss, Lisa had a complete opposite reaction to the kiss.

Even under duress, that kiss had unlocked something in Lisa that had been hidden and buried for a long time. If she closed her eyes, she could feel his hands as he grasped her shoulders, pulling her towards him and the softness of his lips on hers. She thought he would have given her a quick peck or just rest his mouth on hers but Rick had actually deepened the kiss, catching Lisa's breath and unconsciously she had responded, relaxing into him and returning the kiss.

Not wanting to spend any more time analyzing whether or not she was attracted to the brash young pilot, Lisa shook her head and laid down hoping to get some rest before her next shift.

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><p>Author's note - Not yet sure where I am going with this story yet so please be kind with your reviews.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

He couldn't see who it was, but Rick admired the lithe, strong form running along the uppermost pathways of the ship. He remembered using those same pathways during his basic training and wondered why anyone would willingly run that path. The path was really no more than scaffolding that had been welded to the sides of the ship. Minimal railing was in place for safety and many of the recruits had a fear of falling from that high perch. A flimsy net was installed as a safety precaution, but no one really thought the net would hold if someone did fall.

From his vantage point in the Observation Deck park, he could see the runner approaching the area on the deck which marked the exit to the track. Rick watched as the runner deftly crossed into the dirt of the Observation Deck and slowed to a walk. He was surprised to recognize that the runner was none other than Lt. Commander Lisa Hayes. Seeing her lost in though as she went through her cool down excersizes, he didn't dare approach her.

They hadn't talked much since their return from the Zentraedi ship, which he found strange after being trapped with her for quite a few weeks as a prisoner on Dolza's ship. He had thought that after what they had been through together would have brought them closer together but he sensed that Lisa chose to keep her distance from him, despite the eye-opening conversations that they had with one another while looking for an escape. She was always polite and friendly when they would run into one another on the base or in the mess hall, but she never stayed long to chat, citing her busy schedule as a way to excuse herself from prolonging the conversation. Claudia had even called her out on it once, when they ran into Roy and Rick in the mess hall, when Lisa suddenly remembered a meeting she had to attend.

Rick admitted to himself that he wished that Lisa would talk to him more. He felt something for her that he didn't quite understand. It wasn't the same type of feeling that he got when he thought of Minmei but more a curiosity and need to understand her, be someone that Lisa opened up to and confided in. He knew that there weren't many people she felt that she could turn to and for some of reason, he wanted to be one of those people.

Seeing Lisa complete her stretches and towel off a bit, Rick approached her with a casual wave and waited for her to acknowledge him. Lisa waved to him in return and slowly started to walk to where he was standing. Rick met her halfway in the park with a big grin on his face. He was impressed by how she gave no thought to greeting him in her current state and unconsciously compared her to Minmei who would have never let herself be seen after a workout like that.

"Wow, I couldn't believe that was you out there Lisa, you're fast!'

Lisa smiled still patting her perspiration soaked face with a small towel. "Thanks Rick, I've been working on my endurance and speed. After our experience running from the Zentraedi on their ship, I realized I wasn't as fast or as strong as I should be. I've been working out for all the wrong reasons and needed to make myself stronger. I've even started to incorporate more weight training in my routine."

Rick didn't mean to, but Lisa's comments made him look at her with a more critical eye. She had looked damn good in her flight suit already but he could notice that her frame did seem a bit leaner and that there was more muscle definiton in her arms and legs. Seeing her in a flight suit now, might give him heart palpitations.

Lisa blushed as she felt Rick giver her a quick once over. She hadn't said what she had said in the hopes he would check her out. Rick seeing the blush on her face realized what he had subconsiously done and fumbled with an apology. "Uh, I didn't mean to look at you... I mean when you said that about the weights, well I just..."

Lisa just as embarrassed by the conversation, just shook her head, "I get it Rick, no need to apologize. What brings you up here today?"

Rick, happy to change the subjct, started to talk, and the two slowly strolled over to the railing overlooking the city. Looking down on the bustling metropolitan below them, it we hard to imagine that all the homes, shops and buidings were all housed inside a giant alien ship. They watched as the people in the city strolled about and went on their business as if there was not a interstellar war going on outside.

Rick explained how he had free time today but didn't feel like hanging out with the Max and Ben and didn't feel like going into the city. "I love the quietness up here and the views that you can see of the stars. I don't understand why more people don't come up here to enjoy the view."

Lisa nodded her head, "I expect that people feel more comfortable going about the day as if nothing has changed. In general humans don't act well to change well and everyone deals with it differently than others. For the people of Macross, it looks like they feel its best to ignore the situation outside and hope that we can make it back to Earth safely."

Lisa who had cooled down enough, shivered a bit, drawing Rick's attention. He had been content to have this opportunity to talk to her and laugh a little with her. Rick could tell that Lisa was getting ready to pack up and leave and didn't want her to go quite yet. Seeing her shiver again, Rick pulled off the light jacket that he was wearing and offered it to her, but Lisa just shook her head.

"It was nice talking to you Rick but I have to get going."

"What about later Lisa, are you free for dinner?". Rick couldn't believe that he just asked Lisa out and in a way was a bit relieved and sad when she declined.

"Sorry Rick, I can't, I'm on duty tonight...maybe some other time alright?"

Rick murmered an agreement and walked her to the stairs that led back to the base. He wanted to ask her if maybe he could join her during her dinner break, but didn't want to risk a rejection. Rick never had the confidence with woman that Roy had and decided to let it go.

As he watched Lisa walk down the stairs back towards the base entrance, Rick felt a sense of loss and longing, something he couldn't understand why. She didn't have Minmei's fun and bubbly personality that drew everyone to her like a moth to a flame. In fact, Lisa was the complete opposite. Her no nonsense attitude at work and her barely approachable demeanour outside of the base didn't endear her to a lot of people. Lisa, however, didn't seem to care what others thought about her. From what Rick could tell was that Lisa had strong convictions towards her duty and service and that her meticulous work was done to meet her own high standards. He wondered what she thought about him and whether she still saw him as the brash, cocky recruit she had met months earlier.


	3. Chapter 3

It was over a week before Rick saw Lisa again in person. She had coordinated some of the Vermilion squadron's flight patrols, but he noticed that Lisa wasn't manning her usual station as often and wondered if she had a different shift. After his last patrol, Rick went to the mess hall to get some food. As he selected his choices from the warm buffet trays, Rick scanned the room for a place to sit.

Rick noticed Roy, Lisa and Claudia sitting at a table, engaged in conversation near the big bay windows in the mess hall. Seeing his friends from across the room Rick made his way over to give his greetings when he sensed that the conversation that the three were having was not very friendly as tension oozed from the group. Noticing that others were giving this trio wide berth, Rick slowed his approach to see whether he should continue or not. Claudia was leaning in towards Lisa talking to her in a low quiet voice. From Claudia's stance and body movements and the stubborn look on Lisa face, it appeared that Claudia was lecturing Lisa about something and that Lisa was not having any of it.

Lisa shook her head negatively to something that Claudia said, which caused Claudia to throw her hands in the air and turn to Roy to support her stance. Roy, usually one to back up Claudia, uncharacteristically shrugged his shoulders and said something that made Lisa respond with a tight, slightly smirking smile. Defeated Claudia shook her head and once again started to speak to Lisa in a low whispered voice. Lisa listened politely but tired of the argument excused herself with a tap of her watch, rose from the table and made her way out of the room. As she passed Rick, he could see the anger in her face and her eyes flashed like bright green gems. Fascinated but scared at the same time, he murmured a hello, which Lisa acknowledged with a quick nod of her head as she stalked out the room.

Glancing back at Roy and Claudia, he was about to look for somewhere else to sit when he saw Roy motion him over. Sighing, as he didn't want to be involved with whatever was going on between Lisa and Claudia, Rick weaved his way over. As he got close to where Roy and Claudia were sitting, he could hear Claudia complainIng about Lisa to Roy.

"That girl is so stubborn, I don't know what has gotten into her lately. Honestly, I sometimes don't think that I know who she is anymore." Claudia shook her head in disbelief and finaly noticed Rick setting his tray down on the table.

Rick thought that Claudia would desist speaking about the situation with Lisa once he sat down, but either she was too mad to care whether he knew she was upset with Lisa or that his close relationship with Roy implicitly meant that any conversation he was privy to was kept under the strictest confidence.

Rick wasn't one to participate in idle gossip and mostly kept his mouth shut except for when he was flying. Others in the RDF thought that maybe Rick wasn't too bright just an excellent pilot, but that wasn't the case at all.

"She's going to get hurt Roy, I jut know it and damned if you are just going to stand by and help her," continued Claudia. "Everytime that girl leaves this fortress, she's almost died." Glancing towards Rick, Claudia made a motion with her hands towards Rick. "If it wasn't for this one, she wouldn't have made it back either time!"

Rick frowned a bit, he didn't want to hear that Lisa had another dangerous mission which required her to leave the relative safety of the SDF-1. It didn't seem that the Zentraedi wanted to destroy the ship, which meant that for now being on board was the safest place to be. Appetite lost, Rick swallowed his bite of food and pushed his tray away from him. Looking up at Roy and Claudia with a concerned look on his face, he asked, "Where is she going this time? We aren't that much further from reaching Earth, they aren't thinking of trying to send her to Earth now are they?" They can't do that!"

As Rick pondered the question he just asked, he wondered if Captain Gloval would really be capable of doing such a thing. They had just made it back from escaping Dolza's ship a couple of months ago and now command was thinking of sending her out there again? Lisa and her crew would be captured or killed before they made it to Earth.

Claudia looked slightly amazed at Rick's outburst and looked at Roy. Roy hurried to assure Rick, "No, it's nothing like that at all. She's not going to go anywhere.". With those words Roy gave a pointed look to Claudia, who understood that while Roy could not stop Lisa, he could make it more difficult for her to succeed without his support.

Claudia felt some relief from what Roy had tried to convey to her. She gave Roy a warm smile and got up from her seat and gave Roy a quick peck on the cheek. "I knew you wouldn't let me down.". Excusing herself from the table and telling Rick and Roy goodbye, Claudia left the mess hall in a much better mood.

Rick turned to watch Claudia walk out, still wondering what the two of them had been discussing in regards to Lisa. Rick turned back to Roy who gave a heavy sigh and sat slumped in his chair, long legs sprawling.

"What is it Roy? Claudia seems to be happy with whatever you just said, so what's the problem?"

Roy just shook his head, "It's not that simple little brother. I don't know if I will be able to promise Claudia what I just did. Lisa is just as much s younger sister to Claudia as you are to me. But Lisa outranks us all and orders from the top do not take into account feelings and relationships."

"What is this about Roy, what are they asking Lisa, I mean Lt. Commander Hayes to do?" Rick was concerned and it showed on his face. Roy studied Rick's face and body language and it validated a feeling that Roy had when the Vermillion Squad plus Lisa had returned from their capture but had dismissed it from his mind when nothing between Lisa and Rick seemed to change. If Roy didn't know better, Rick seemed to have feelings for the pretty Lt. Commander and Roy being Roy wanted to probe a bit more to see how far those feelings went.

Roy tried at first to put Rick's mind at ease. "Command isn't asking Lisa to do anything, if anybody's asking, its Lisa's asking them to do more.". Seeing Rick's questioning look, Roy continued. "Lt. Commander Hayes wasn't really happy with the top brass's reception you all received when you returned home and she felt they basically ignored the data and intelligence that you brought back. They continue to think that the Earth's defenses will be able to defeat the Zentraedi force and that we just need to make it home. Earth's defense may be enough to stop the Zentraedi that are trailing us but not the force that you and Lisa described. Lt. Commander Hayes wants them to do more, continue to improve SDF-1's firepower and also find a way to better protect those on this ship. She feels we are too vulnerable, not strong enough to defend ourselves if the Zentraedi press their attacks. Lisa isn't willing to stand around and do nothing about it, while Claudia feels that Lisa's trying to take on too much on her own. I'm in a tough spot Rick, I agree with Lisa that we need to do more, but I also agree with Claudia that Lisa doesn't always have to be one to come up with the plan or to push for reform."

Roy continued, "the problem is that Lisa doesn't think she needs anybody and with no ties to anyone on the ship, she feels that she's somewhat expendable. I shouldn't be telling you this Rick but there's no one else I could talk to about this besides Claudia and she already knows Lisa's story. Lisa and her father Admiral Hayes are estranged from one another and Lisa said once, her death would be an acceptable loss to him as long as it was happened in the line of duty. I didn't really know if she was joking or not but it made me realize how alone she must feel out here."

Roy paused and looked at Rick, "do me a favor will ya, if you do happen to see her or talk to her, try and cheer her up a bit. Claudia mentioned that Lisa's had a few sleepless nights over her experience on Dolza's ship. You might be the only one who understands what it was like and Lisa could use a friend. You never know, you might find a friend in her too."

Rick sat and contemplated what Roy had told him after Roy left as well. He didn't know why his heart felt tight, like he couldn't breathe. He wondered if the meatloaf he had just eaten had given him heartburn but knew that wasn't the cause either. Rick had seen Lisa in her most vulnerable states, after his rescue of her from Mars Base Sara, and during the time of their capture. Then, like now, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and shelter her from her own pain. Not knowing what else to do, he promised himself that he would ask her out to dinner the next time that he saw her.


	4. Chapter 4

Rick walked the city streets of Macross alone. He had not been able to keep his promise to himself about asking Lisa out as so many things had happened in the last few weeks. The SDF-1 had finally made it back to Earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean. As for Lisa, she and Captain Gloval, had gone to Alaska Base to report on Zentraedi actions since the SDF-1 left Earth, request to have the civilians relocated as soon as possible and to try and convince the government to try and establish a truce with the Zentraedi. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful in their endevour as the citizens was still on board the vessel as the Earth's government had declared that the inhabitents of Macross as casualties of war and there was currently no where to relocate the 80,000 people on board.

Rick also had an opportunity to leave the SDF-1 to escort Minmei home to her parents for a short visit. What had first been a pleasurable activity for him, soon turned into a chore as not only was he involved in her family squabble, her cousin Kyle accompanied them back to the ship. He watched as Minmei, who was already half in love with Kyle, fall further under his spell and start to turn her career over to him to manage. The little time that Rick saw of Minmei before Kyle, now became virtually not at all since she was busy filming her first film and Kyle made sure Minmei had no time for her pilot friend. Rick had been hurt by this but in many ways realized that his military life and her more glamorous lifestyle weren't really compatible. He also discovered that Minmei didn't really want to understand the severity of the Earth's situation , instead continued to focus on her singing, dancing, acting career and herself. Rick came to the realization that Minmei was pretty self absorbed and the time they did spend together, she spoke of her many activities and busy schedule, but rarely asked about Rick's life.

Preoccupied with his thoughts and not really watching where he was going, Rick bumped into someone standing in front of a store in the shopping district. Apologizing profusely, Rick looked up to find a pair of smiling green eyes. Lisa, putting her hands on her hip in mock anger, "Well is that anyway to greet an officer?".

Rick smiled in return, noting that Lisa seemed to be in a good mood. Rick was also surprised to see Lisa dressed so casually in dark blue jeans, black flats and black top under a light grey jacket. Lisa's hair was loose and flowy and he was amazed by how young Lisa looked.

Rick apologized again and Lisa accepted, and then she pointed to the window that she had been standing in front of. Inside the shop window, were five puppies, barking and wagging their tails trying to get Lisa's attention.

"Aren't they so cute?" exclaimed Lisa. Rick couldn't help but smile as Lisa leaned in towards the window to watch the puppies frollicking in their pen. He joined her in getting their attention and couldn't help but laugh at the antics of a young brown and white puppy. Seeing how much Lisa was enjoying herself, Rick found himself asking her, "Why don't we go inside and see them Lisa, I'm sure they would let you hold one."

Rick could see the longing in her eyes to enter the shop but Lisa demurred, glancing at the puppies again, she said, "oh I don't dare go in, I'd be afraid I'd take one home with me!"

Rick didn't think that would necessarily be a bad thing, but knew that pets were not allowed on base. Still he encouraged Lisa to go in to see the puppies. With his encouragement and a tug on her sleeves, they found themselves inside the shop, chatting with the shop owner and then in a little room where Lisa and Rick were able to play with the brown and white puppy they saw in the window earlier. Fifteen minutes later, the two left the shop still laughing at the antics of the now sleeping puppy. Lisa had hated to leave him there but knew that it was for the best.

As they left the shop, and without much discussion, the two headed further into Macross City and their reasons for venturing into the city that day.

"Are you headed into town to see Minmei, Rick?" Lisa asked innocently. Unaware that Miss Macross was a bit of a sore spot with Rick at the moment, he just shook his head and mentioned that he didn't have much else to do that day and though that going into town would be a pleasant diversion. He found that those words were truer than he expected, especially with the current company he was keeping.

"What about you Lisa? You aren't usually much for going into the city."

"No, you're right, I haven't been for a while, I just need to get away from base a bit. Probably been cooped up too long, thought that coming out here would help." Lisa smiled at Rick who could see that underneath Lisa's bright expression, he could see some tiredness and fatigue in the way she held her body. Rick thought about what Roy said about Lisa taking on too much and smiled brightly at her, "well if you don't have any definite plans, why don't we see if we can find something to do together."

Rick could see her hesitating a bit on his offer, but was happy to hear Lisa's positive reply, "Well, if you're sure you want to hang out with an ole sourpuss like me, then I'd really like that Rick, thank you."

As they walked, the two chatted about whether there were any new developments with the United Earth government allowing the civilians off the SDF-1, they talked about Roy and Claudia as well as the stress of being a squadron leader. Rick was surprised to find Lisa a good listener. It was nice to have someone to unburden himself to and it was good to have someone actually listen to him. Lisa gave him some things to think about and was glad that he had ran into her that day.

The two of them didn't just chat the whole time, they also indulged in some window shopping. Rick was secretly impressed when Lisa passed by a clothing and jewelry store with nary a glance, but came to a dead stop in front of the electronics store that had a lot of fun and new gadgets displayed in the windows. They spend some time checking out the newest personal gadgets, from phones to fitness bands and digital recorders. Lisa expressed interest in purchasing a new digital music player and the two went in to take a look at the latest models.

As they were looking at the latest models and debating the merits of each of them, a salesperson came up to the two of them. "Hello, welcome to Ace Electronics, I'm Matt, I see you two are looking at our newest music players. Any questions you two have on these items?"

Lisa and Rick glanced at one another and Rick for some reason took the lead and pointed to two differnent devices that Lisa had been looking at, "Hi Matt, yes, could you tell what features these both have and advantages one may have over the other?"

Matt did a thorough review of the two items and then pointed out the one to the left. Glancing at Lisa, he said to Rick, "If this is for your girlfriend, this might be a better model."

Matt took the device from Rick's hand and pushed a little side button where a little compact mirror popped out.

Rick could see the annoyance on Lisa's face and that she was about to open her mouth and lay into the poor unsuspecting salesperson. Rick quickly stood between Lisa and the salesperson, pulled out his credit card and handed it to Matt saying, "No, I think we'll go with the other model, we are in a bit of a hurry though, would you be able to ring it up?"

Matt responded with a smile and left with Rick's card, while Rick turned to a fuming Lisa and said laughingly, "Let it go Lisa, he was just trying to be helpful."

As Matt came back with the bag and receipt for Rick to sign, Lisa accepted the bag and after Matt left she said, "Oh you shouldn't have paid for it Rick, I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it Lisa, it's not a big deal and I really didn't want to have to pay for damages to the store after you got through with Matt."

Lisa blushed as her temper was well known, "Well then, thank you Rick, I really appreciate the gift." Lisa leaned over and gave Rick a peck on the cheek, which caused him to blush. It also made him think about Matt's comment about Lisa being his girlfriend.

Lisa laughed at his slightly red face and discomfort at her thanks, and gently tugged Rick's sleeve and led him out the store door.

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><p>Author's note -thanks everyone for the reviews and follows! It really means a lot to me to know that this story is being read. Have to go back to work tomorrow, but will try and post another chapter as soon as I can.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

The two did not stop their excursion through the city there. After leaving the Electronics district, Rick and Lisa wandered into the Entertainment section of town, where they found themselves at one of the large arcades. They wandered through the three story building with the various games trying to decide where to start first. The first floor were where most families stayed to play, the kids playing games that awarded tickets that could be redeemed for small prizes. There were also carnival games where people could try their skills to win a prize. The second level of the building had more traditional arcade games and pinball machines, while the third floor held the first person shooter games, simulator games and other multi player games. It was here that Rick and Lisa had the most interest and Lisa redeemed some cash for credits. Passing one of the cards to Rick they headed to the floor to start playing.

Seeing a popular racing simulator open up, Rick and Lisa jumped into the open seats and raced through a variety of famous city streets. Rick was not surprised by Lisa's competitive nature, and laughed when she became frustrated when he beat her. Rick and Lisa played game after game finally making their way to the back to where a popular Veritech fighter game was featured. Rick and Lisa put their names down on the waiting list and watched on the big screen the other players and fights going on. Looking around, Rick noticed a couple of other pilots he recognized on base giving him and Lisa a once over. Lisa didn't seem to notice them or chose not to notice the stares that they were getting. Rick realized that to the other pilots, it may look to them that him and Lisa were on a date.

Realizing that there was nothing Rick could do about it unless he wanted to cause more speculation about him and Lisa, Rick chose to ignore the looks and watched as Lisa took in the action on the screens.

"Are you familiar with the game, Lisa?"

"Hmmm, the controls seem to be very close to an actual Veritech fighter, I should be okay. Why? Worried Rick?" Lisa arched her eyebrow at Rick and Rick laughed. This was one area where he was pretty confident he had her. She might have beaten him at the dancing game, the Fruit Chop game and some of the other games, but behind the controls of a Veritech, Rick knew he could beat her.

As their names were called and Rick and Lisa took their positions against one another, they were still kidding around with one another. It wasn't until the lights dimmed in the simulator and the two were strapped in that Rick looked over to see Lisa with a very serious look on her face.

As the game began and the two were catapulted in the air, Rick knew that he was going to have to fight for the win.

In the first round, the pilots were given a number of target pods to shoot down in a specific amount of time without getting shot down or hit by debris. It reminded Rick of the time he flew though the astroid belt with Lisa yelling at him through the TacNet and he hunkered down in his seat and gripped the contols to better maneuver through the obstacles.

Rick barely came out ahead after the first round totally impressed with Lisa's flying skills. He was surprised that someone who spent most of her time on the bridge or attending to administrative duties still had the type of control over her fighter.

The second round was a search and rescue mission, where in Battaloid mode, they individually worked to reach the captives, free them and avoid capture themselves. Lisa won this round, although Rick noticed that Lisa seemed to be frustrated with the lack of response from the controls at times and was visibly annoyed when they entered the third and final round.

In this round the two opponents were fighting one another and although Rick barely scratched out the win on this round, he was fazed by how good Lisa was at handling her Veritech in all three modes. His win was not by a knockout but due to doing more damage to her fighter than Lisa did to his, however the payout waiting for them both at the end of the game was an unexpected prize. Their game had single handedly beat previous high scores in each round and earned credit back for every subsequent hit, score or milestone achieved. They both earned a round of a applause from those watching their fight on the big screens as well as credits that they were able to redeem back for cash.

Lisa and Rick left the arcade, laughing and retelling different moments of the game and their experience. They agreed to use the cash they received towards dinner and the two went to look for somewhere to eat. They both subconsciously agreed that Chinese food was out.

"How did you get so good at this Lisa? I didn't think that you would come out here to play." asked Rick as they walked to the food court.

Lisa hesitated before responding. "Well, I think I already told you that I graduated the top of my class at the Academy and that did mean I earned top scores in Flight School too. I also couldn't fulfil my duties of Flight Control Operations if I didn't have a good understanding of how to fly and operate the Veritech's myself. I don't get much practice in anymore, but l still hit the simulators on base sometimes."

Satisfied with her answer the two continued on with their adventure looking for a fun spot to grab some dinner. They ended up at a small eatery, that was doing a bustling business serving a variety of Medittreanean and Middle Eastern Foods. With the good smells coming from the kitchen, Rick and Lisa ordered a variety of items, falafels, gyros and pomegranate chicken all served with a Greek salad and pita bread.

Rick couldn't believe what a good time he had been having and honestly knew it was one of the best days he'd had in a very long time. Lisa seemed much more relaxed as he had ever seen her and he couldnt help admire how pretty she was. It wasn't just her classical good looks that drew him, but her underlying strength and the softness that she hid from everyone that attracted him the most. It was easy to see her as just another by the book officer when they were on base, but out here, he realized that there really was so much more to Lisa than even he had thought.

Lisa was also pleased with being able to spend some time with Rick. Her duties definitely kept her busy, but she knew that part of her reasoning for keeping herself busy was to try and get over her crush on Rick Hunter. Lisa thought that over time that the feelings she had for him would slowly fade, but inadvertendly spending the day with him today, made it more obvious to her that her feelings were not that of a mere crush. Being with him, made her heart beat a little faster and also gave her some hope that all would be well in this terrible war that they were currently in.

As they finished the baklava that came at the end of their dinner, Lisa sighed contentedly, "I haven't eaten that much in so long Rick, the food was delicious."

Rick had to agree and suggested that the two walk back to base to work off their meal. Rick didn't want the night to end and wanted to prolong this contented feeling he hadn't had in a long time. His worries about Minmei were forgotten and Rick wondered how to approach Lisa about going out with him again.

The walk back was a bit quieter than their day had been, both not knowing what to say to one another and both wondering what the other was thinking. Suddenly loud whooping and yelling were heard behind them and a group of teenagers on skateboards came flying down the sidewalk towards them. In a hurry to get out of their way, Rick nudged Lisa closer to the building they were walking next to and he turned towards her and braced his arms around her, giving the teens the chance to pass. Sheltered in his arms, Lisa could hardly breath. It was evident that Rick was no longer the boy she had first met so long ago, not only had he grown taller but he exuded a manliness that she could not deny being attracted to.

As for Rick, as he looked down in Lisa's eyes, he could see a flicker of some sort of recognition, a need that he had not seen before. Her eyes seemed to darken in color and her face was a bit flushed. Her hands lay on his chest and Rick could hear her breathing softly quicken.

In a low concerned voice Rick asked, "Are you okay?"

Lisa felt like she could barely respond, his phyical closeness affecting her so much, she looked up to find Rick's dark blue eyes searching hers and she had barely let out a whispered "yes" when she felt Rick's lips touch hers.

At first the kiss was just a soft feathering graze, his lips barely touching hers, but it didn't stop there. Rick, so caught up in the feeling, didn't wait for any type of acceptance from Lisa, instead gave into some of his own yearnings, leaned down and pressed his lips more deeply into hers.

Lisa couldn't believe what was happening. Was she hit in the head and dreaming now or was Rick Hunter really kissing her? Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Lisa tentatively kissed Rick back, only to find that her positive response seemed to encourage him more and Lisa soon found herself being thoroughly kissed by Rick and her own arms wrapped themselves around his neck, while his hands found his way to her waist.

As they broke apart to catch their breath, Rick rested his forehead on Lisa's and looked into her eyes. He could see the warmth in her eyes and the questions that she seemed to have. Not yet having all the answers himself, Rick felt her slowly let go of him, but he held onto Lisa. Trying to put a coherent sentance together, Rick gazed at her warmly and said, "I hope this means that if I ask you out for a date, your answer would be yes?"

Lisa smiled her shy smile and Rick suddenly very happy, tucked her hand into his arm and escorted her back to base.

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><p>Author's note: Once again, thank you for the reviews! I love hearing what you have to say about this story and the encouragement to have me write more. Hoping to be able to get this story out faster too, I just got a keyboard that connects to my tablet via Bluetooth, so I have a real keyboard to type with. Yay!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

It was a beautiful day in the Pacific Ocean, the sun was shining and the sky clear and blue. Lisa, Claudia, Sammie, Vanessa, and Kim, were on duty monitoring for Zentraedi activity. The ladies were enjoying a cup of hot coffee and chatting about their weekend. It had been nice to have some regular time off and get a chance to feel like they were leading normal lives. Sammie, Vanessa and Kim had told in great minutia the whole of their weekend and Lisa and Claudia listened to them interrupt one another and bicker with one another in the retelling of events. After they were done, they asked Lisa and Claudia about their weekends, when neither provided too many details and Claudia responded with a casual ," just the usual, girls, nothing to write home about."

Sammie with a sly side glance at Vanessa and Kim, asked Lisa innocently, "Are you sure nothing interesting happened this weekend Lisa? Because that's not what we heard." Sammie giggled a bit and waited a bit for Lisa's response.

Lisa blushed a bit but wasn't going jto give anything away asked, "Oh, what did you hear?"

Sammie just giggled some more and said, "Well, I heard that you and Lt. Hunter were on a date together. Some of the pilots we know told us about it. I can't believe you didn't tell us yourself Lisa, it's not fair to keep something like that to yourself."

Lisa laughed and said, "Well it wasn't exactly a date, we just happened to run into each other on the way into the city and neither of us had set plans and ended up at the arcade. That's all, okay?"

Sammie opened her mouth to say something else when with Vanessa's station starting to beep notifying of Zentraedi movement in space. All the women ran to their stations and started to read out on status.

Captain Gloval, stepped onto the bridge, notified from his ready room when the alarms started to ring. Taking his seat, Vanessa read out that two large enemy cruisers were headed their way and that pods were being launched. Gloval gave the order to scramble the Veritech's and Lisa and Claudia both said a short prayer under their breath to keep their loved ones safe.

Both Vermillion and the Skull squadrons were called out to defend the SDF-1 and although the battle was over quickly it wasn't without some sacrifices. Captain Gloval ordered the main gun to be fired as the attacking Zentraedi pressed forward and although it deterred the Zentraedi for now, Gloval knew that the power of the main gun would not be able to defeat a larger force.

Captain Gloval also knew that more needed to be done to get the civilians off the ship as he didn't think it would be much longer before the SDF-1 would be taken by one of the attacking Zentraedi forces. A few days after the attack, Gloval ordered that the SDF-1 ignore the orders of the United Earth Government to stay at sea and head towards land. The SDF-1 cruised over cities causing citizens to panic, while creating questions about what really happened at Macross Island. After days of crossing slowing over the North American continent, the SDF-1 was given approval by the province of Ontario to allow safe passage for the citizens of Macross to relocate.

As the SDF-1 made its way to the Ontario quadrant, the Zentraedi struck again, the SDF-1 once again was able to defeat the Zentraedi attack but at a great loss. The pinpoint barrier overheated causing a blast of over 25 miles, devastating the city underneath the SDF-1 as well as killing one of the Veritech pilots, Ben Dixon, one of Rick's men in his squad. The SDF-1 was ordered by the UEG to immediately return to space to keep the Earth safe from further alien attacks as well as potential accidents caused by the SDF-1.

During this tense time, the ship remained on high alert and Gloval and his crew worked tirelessly to maintain a semblance of order and hope on the ship. Gloval hated to do so, but he had to enforce martial law on the city in his ship when protestors became too violent and threats were made against his crew.

There was also little time for personal relationships during this time, and Rick and Lisa saw even less of each other. Rick never had an opportunity to ask Lisa out again as Lisa's time was very much in demand. Rick, when not patrolling, spent his free time either in the gym or in the simulators preparing for the next attack. He also saw an increased number of logins by EGH to the simulators but paid them no mind as he put into perspective the changes that were happening so fast around him.

Rick frequently thought back to the one day that Lisa and him spent together, and even imagined what their next outing would be like. He hoped it wouldn't be long when he was able to make his dream a reality.

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><p>Rick was lying in his room staring at the ceiling when the klaxons starting blaring. It was the sound he had been dreading, and he could hear Lisa's voice over the loudspeaker, "All units, we are under attack, repeat, we are under attack. Report to your stations as soon as possible and await further instructions."<p>

Rick groaned and got out of bed and got dressed as he heard Lisa repeating her order over the loudspeaker. A few minutes later, in his flight suit, he was in a jeep with Max and Roy on his way to the Prometheus. Grabbing his flight helmet from his locker, Rick went to his Veritech to complete the final visual check of the plane and boarded his plane waiting to receive instructions from the bridge. He was surprised when the TacNet beeped notifying him of a private communication. He opened the comm expecting to see either Roy or Max on the other end of the communicator, but was excited to see Lisa on the other end.

"Lt. Commander Hayes!"

Lisa gave him a small worried smile and said, "I don't have much time Lt. Hunter. I just wanted to say, please be careful out there and come home soon!'

With that Lisa disconnected their communication and soon Rick heard her giving takeoff and coordinate instructions on the TacNet to the squadrons and pilots. Rick was waiting for a runaway to be free when Max asked him on their private channel what Lt. Commander Hayes had wanted. Max had been happy when Rick had told him about the time he spent with Lisa and had been encourging Rick to persue the relationship. With a smile, Rick conveyed Lisa's request of him and Rick promised himself that he would make it back safely and ask Lisa out as soon as possible.

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><p>Rick swore under his breath as he maneuvered his fighter through the debris of pods and shot another pod down. The fighting was heavy and fierce, these pod fighters were better trained and more aggressive than the other set of Zentraedi that attacked the SDF-1. There was some debate and a theory held by Captain Gloval that there were two Zentraedi forces, both trying to capture the SDF-1, although one group seemed to be more cautious about damaging the SDF-1, while the other opposing Zentraedi force was intent of taking the SDF-1 with no concern to the damage that they caused.<p>

It was this group that was attacking the SDF-1 and the opposing Zentraedi force was not intervening as they had in other battles. They also seemed to have infinite number of pods at their disposal and sent waves and waves of to attack the SDF-1. If something was not done soon, the Veritech's were in serious danger of being overrun and the SDF-1 taken.

Captain Gloval, his hat low over his eyes, lit his pipe and pondering the desperate situation the SDF-1 was in, made a decision and a call that he never wanted to make.

"Lt. Commander Hayes." Captain Gloval called her name calmly.

Lisa hearing her name, responded automatically, "Yes, sir!" Turning to face him, Lisa could barely see his eyes, hooded by his cap.

Gloval studied the young woman before him, so strong and so sure of herself. He had never met another officer so mature and dedicated as her at such a young age. Her dedication was not only to the government she represented, but to her fellow crewmates and to the people here on the ship and to the people on Earth.

Gruffly, he said, "as you know the situation looks dire out there, I don't know if we can make it without some addional support."

Lisa immediately understood what was being asked of her, saluted the captain and said, "I understand sir."

With that Captain Gloval, called Sammie to take over Lisa's position and with a salute to Lisa dismissed her from the bridge.

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><p>Author's Note: Thank you foxstarkiller, carolblue and reeven for the kind and encouraging words. I'm typing as fast as I possibly can. I hope you enjoy the story. Thank you to the other reviewers as well. I love hearing your feedback.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Lisa walked calmly off the bridge, breaking into a run, only once the bridge door closed behind her. She turned left from the bridge and accessing a concealed elevator hidden behind a maintenance panel, she took the elevator down to a secret flight deck.

Dr. Lang and his team was already there prepping their secret weapon, the only thing they needed was it's pilot. Captain Gloval had informed Dr. Lang to expect Lt. Commander Hayes once he had given the orders to her.

Lisa ran into the room, quickly changing into a flight suit behind a screened area. The flight suit she pulled on was similar to the normal flight suits wore by the pilots, but this suit had some small modifications, it was capable of reading the wearer's vital signs as well as provided feedback back to the Veritech. As the technicians surrounded Lisa checking that everything was working correctly, Dr. Lang gave Lisa some last minute advice.

"I know we were all hoping for a little more time to test out the new Veritech, Lt. Cmdr. Hayes. Please be careful out there and try and not to go overboard. While you have tested as much as you could, there are so many things we still don't know about how their technology works."

Lisa nodded her head in understanding. She was anxious to get out there to provide much needed support and relief to those in battle. Even though she was only one pilot and one additional machine, she knew that based on the preliminary results, the firepower, speed and response by this new Veritech could turn the battle for them.

Lisa climbed up to the cockpit and quickly clicked into the harness that held the pilot in place. Dr. Lang had followed her up the stair ladder and handed her helmet to her as she settled into the seat. With a nod and a thumbs up from Lisa, Dr. Lang and the ladder were pulled away while Lisa completed the final step. Taking a deep breath, she put her helmet on and connected it to the Veritech fighter through a special cable. Once the connection was made, she clicked a button on the side of the helmet and felt two sharp pinches to the sides of her neck where two extremely thin but virtually unbreakable needles entered her skin marking Lisa's final connection to the Veritech.

Once connected, the instrument panels lit up and the fighter's engine activated. Lisa quickly confirmed to Dr. Lang and the team below that all was in range. The teams had already cleared the space where the fighter was located and entered a mini command center. Giving Lisa the all clear signal and coordinates of the battle outside, the large bay doors opened and they watched as the Veritech roared out into space.

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><p>"Watch out Rick, there's two pods flanking you!". Max yelled a warning to Rick and hurried after the two pods that were after him. He was able to take out one, when Rick evaded and transformed into Battaloid mode to blow the other pod of the air.<p>

"Thanks Max, I don't know what I would do without you." said Rick, taking a quick breather to assess the situation. They had barely taken out the last group of pods and could already see another group of pods coming into attack. Rick wondered why they didn't just send them all out at once but wasn't going to question their battle tactics. As if reading his mind, he could see another squad of pods being deployed quickly after the first.

"Shit. Max it looks Iike we need to get back in there."

As they flew back toward the main battle they could hear Sammie giving new coordinates and orders to the squadrons. Rick wondered where Lisa was as it was not like her to give up her post for any reason during a battle. Rick didn't have time to think about this as they reached the fray and Rick and Max worked to lure the pods away from the main attack group so that they could take them out.

Just then from the direction of the SDF-1, a powerful beam cut through a swath of the oncoming pods obliterating many of them into pieces.

"Woah, did you see that Rick? What do you think it was?" asked Max in awe.

Rick had no response but did not have to. Visuals showed an incoming Veritech, but one with coloring no one was familiar with. Gold with an emerald green tail, Rick and Max watched as the newcomer came into battle with guns blazing taking out the enemy as it linked up with the Skull Squadron.

Roy called out to the pilots in the TacNet, "change in plans everyone, take defensive position behind the Emerald Knight and shoot anything down that gets past him towards the SDF-1. We need to do our best to protect the SDF-1."

Rick didn't know what to think but followed directions and cues from Roy. As the next wave of pods came through, they watched in awe as the Skull Squadron and the Emerald Knight raced to meet the incoming pods and watched as the Knight transformed into Battaloid mode. It was no Battaloid they have ever seen before, with it's right arm handling a saber that was capable of cutting down the pods and the left arm carried the automatic gun capable of firing rounds at incredible speeds and accuracy.

There was still much to do by the other squads and soon the air was filled with pods and fighters battling for survival. The enemy cruisers, seeing that the new weapon was decimating their numbers, sent out a fresh wave of pods and some Quadrono fighters which surpassed the pods in skill and agility.

The pilots and the Emerald Knight fought the battle fiercely hoping to turn the tide. Lisa, let her training and instincts take over, her link to the Veritech was both mental and physical, transmitting her movements and thoughts almost instantaneously to the fighter, allowing for quicker response from the machine.

Captain Gloval was worried about the new additions to the fight. The ememy cruisers had also started firing on the SDF-1 hoping to weaken its defenses. Knowing that the pilots could not hold out much longer, Captain Gloval gave the order to fire the main gun, hoping that would cause the Zentraedi to turn tail.

As the squadrons cleared the blast area, the SDF-1 fired on the enemy ships, destroying one of the cruisers and eliminating many of the pods. The Zentraedi seeing one of the cruisers destroyed, called a retreat. Gloval watched from the bridge as the enemy pods started to return to the remaining cruiser, and had Sammie call the squadrons to return to base.

As the squadrons flew back towards the SDF-1, a sense of loss permeated the air. Almost every squadron had lost a teammate and chances of recovery were not high.

The squadrons had just started to reach the SDF-1, when a squad of pods and two Quadrano fighters appeared out of the debris field, attacking the Veritechs. Surprised and scrambling to react, Roy called for the other squads to continue to return to the ship while the Skull and Vermilion squadron stayed back to protect the retreating Veritechs. Rick was not surprised that the Knight stayed back as well and they continued to cut down and destroy the enemy pods. It did not take long for them to dispatch the remaining pods and soon they were all heading back to the safety of the SDF-1. The Knight trailed the two squadrons still in Battlaloid mode when they were once again surprised by what they had thought was an inactive Quadrano fighter.

As the Quadrano fighter took its shots towards the retreating Skull and Vermilion squadrons, the Emerald Knight immediately raised its wings in order to take the hit and protect the returning Veritechs. Roy urged them the other pilots back to the ship, while turning the Skull to help the Knight defeat the remaining foe.

Roy fired on the remaining Zentraedi fighter and both the Skull and the Knight fought the wily fighter. The Skull took the final shot that disabled the Quadrano fighter and seeing no further activity from the fighter, they both headed back to the ship and to the landing bays. Right as they were reaching the ship, the supposedly disabled fighter took one last shot at the retreating Veritechs and hit the Knight directly in the back hitting one of the vital components usually hidden under the wings of the Veritech.

Lisa screamed in pain as her Veritech was hit. She had never experienced pain like this and felt that her whole body was on fire. She could feel that she was losing consiousness and stayed hard to stay awake, at least enough to land the Veritech and not crash against the SDF-1. Switching to Guardian mode, Lisa struggled to maintain control as another blast from the Quadrano fighter clipped her left wing and sent another shock wave of pain through her body.

The opening to the landing bay swam in front of her eyes and Lisa said a prayer as she cut the engines to the Veritech and aimed the fighter towards the landing bay doors.

The pilots and maintenance crew watched in horror as they watched the Knight take that final hit. Realizing that a crash was inevitable, the maintenance crew quickly activated the electromagnetic net that was capable of catching and slowing down a runaway Veritech.

They watched as the Veritech tumbled into the bay, the net successfully caught the fighter and as the net deactivated, the Veritech collapsed with it's nose down.

Rick watched the fighter collapse and hoped that the pilot would be alright. They were not yet able to exit their ships as gravity had not yet been restored to the bay and Rick slowly became conscious of Roy trying to communicate with the Emerald Knight over an open channel on the TacNet. He wasn't sure why communications with the fighter was disabled, but realized that Roy was able to communicate with the pilot of that ship. Realizing that Roy must have known abut the secret Veritech fighter, he wondered what else Roy knew and couldn't share.

The green light had barely changed color indicating that the airlock was sealed and that gravity was restored, when Rick saw that Roy already had his canopy open and was descending from the Skull, running towards the fallen Veritech.

Concerned for his brother as he had never seen him act this way, Rick scrambled out of his fighter and ran after Roy.

A side door burst open and a flurry of activity occurred on the floor, medics were brought in to help treat the wounded, but it was the sight of Dr. Lang and his team running towards the Knight that caused Rick to realize the severity of the situation. The team quickly erected a fabric barrier between the Veritech and the remaining view of those on the floor. Rick was close enough to the gold and green Veritech that the medics had no choice but to ignore him.

Rick watched as Roy and the maintenance crew reached the fighter and released the latch to the canopy. As the canopy opened, Roy was already reaching in to pull the pilot out. Rick was still unable to see who the pilot was but could hear one of the medics from Dr. Lang's team, "Sir, we are losing her, her vitals signs are dangerously low and she stopped breathing, we need to get her to the medical bay as soon as possible."

Just then Roy reappeared carrying a body out of the plane. Rick watched as Roy fumbled with something on the sides of the helmet and pulled the helmet off the pilot's head. Realization of the pilot's identity hit Rick as a swath of wheat colored hair cascaded down Roy's arm. With a "no, it can't be.." Rick stood rooted in his spot as he watched Roy hand Lisa down to the medics who started to perform CPR on Lisa. Seeing her laying so still on the gurney, Rick came too, running over to where Lisa was being treated.

Roy quickly stopped Rick from getting too close and said, "She's badly hurt, you need to let them help her, you will just be in the way."

Rick struggled against Roy and watched as a respirator was pulled over Lisa's head and over her mouth and nose. The medics started to cut away Lisa's flight suit. Rick wanted to protest but realized that there were wounds Lisa had under her suit that needed to be tended to. He wanted to look away but couldn't and could see she was suffering from burns on her arms and legs. She was still unconscious and Rick watched as a light shift was put on Lisa to protect her modesty and gasped as Lisa was placed into a large glass case, almost like a coffin, filled with blue viscous liquid.

"What are they doing to her, " Rick demanded of Roy, but Roy had no time for Rick at that moment and impatiently shushed him.

Dr. Lang covered the tank with a large white sheet and the team quickly rushed Lisa out of the landing bay. Roy ran after them, turning once to say to Rick, "Gloval will want an update, tell him what happened and tell Claudia I won't leave her alone. "

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><p>Author's note: As you know battle scene's are not my stong point. Thank you for continuing to read my story and for the reviews. I am sorry my chapters are so short :). Doing the best I can. Thanks!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Rick wasted no time in heading to the bridge to update Captain Gloval about Lisa's condition. He shook his head to try and clear it and make sense of what he now understood. As he was received into Captain Gloval's ready room, Rick rushed in and briefly saluted the Captain. Slightly out of breath as Rick had run through the corridors when he could, it took him a second to start explaining.

"Sir, Lt. Commander Fokker sent me to tell you about Lisa, I mean Lt. Commader Hayes, sir." Rick stumbled with the words but recovered with a shake of his head trying to remember everything that happened. "Her Veritech was hit, and Lt. Commander Hayes was hurt badly, she was unconsious and she wasn't breathing and she seemed to be suffering from burns on her body. Dr. Lang put her in tank of blue liquid and..." at that Rick couldn't say anymore.

His voice faltered and shook as he tried to finish, "he put her in that blue liquid and I don't even know if she's going to be okay."

Claudia, who had been listening at the door, entered the ready room and Rick noticing her, turned to her and finished, "Roy wanted to me to let you know that he was staying with her Claudia."

Claudia put an arm around Rick, it was obvious he was shaken up by the incident. They had all lost people they knew in this war but it was the first time she had seen Rick so affected by it.

Captain Gloval thanked Rick for the report and stood up, indicating to Claudia and Rick to follow, they exited the Captain's ready room and followed him to the concealed elevator near the bridge that took them down to the secret flight deck and to Dr. Lang's lab. During the walk down, Gloval started talking, "what I'm about to tell you must remain a secret. Shortly after your escape from the Zentraedi, Lt. Commander Hayes convinced me to allow her to volunteer to be the test pilot for one of the new Veritech's that Lang's team is working on but there is more to this than just that. Ten years ago when this alien vessel landed on Earth, there was so much technology and information held within the ship and no way for us to decipher everything that we found. One of the things that we found but could not understand was that blue liquid that Dr. Lang submerged Lisa in. We didn't get to understand it's use until your return from the Zentraedi ship, Lt. Hunter."

Knowing that they need more information, Gloval continued. "It seems that while the four of you were captives by the Zentraedi, you were exposed to or given something that made it possible to unlock the potential of the blue liquid. After your return to the ship, Lt. Commander Hayes was meeting with Dr. Lang on the testing plans for the new fighter, she was drawn to the tanks of blue liquid that were stored down here and in fact, the liquid was drawn to her as well. The liquid started to swirl and move on its own. It was a risk but Dr. Lang drew a sample of the blue liquid and let Lisa touch it."

"What they discovered was that the blue liquid was some sort of organic material, capable of transfering information and thoughts. Lisa mentioned that she had seen tanks of it on the Zentraedi ship and that there were some bodies that were in it. From what we can surmise, the liquid was used by the Zentraedi for still yet known reasons but Dr. Lang discovered that by using Lisa's connection to the blue liquid, if he circulated the blue liquid through the Veritech and connected Lisa to it, that it significantly increased the reaction time of the fighters as they instantaneously seemed to be able to take input from the pilot's brain and central nervous system. Basically if the pilot thought it or made a movement, the Veritech would immediately respond."

Rick was horrified by what had been just been revealed to him. It was bad enough that Lisa agreed to volunteer to test the new Veritech's, but to also submit herself as a science test subject using unknown alien material. Why, he though, why would she do such a thing.

Claudia let out a gasp at this new information, and Rick surmised that even she didn't know about this.

The three reached Dr. Lang's lab and entered to find Dr. Lang and his team had hooked up a series of electrodes to Lisa who was still laying submerged in the blue liquid. Rick was fascinated by the liquid, it seemed to swirl and change colors around her.

He could hear Dr. Lang talking to Captain Gloval, "Lt. Commander Hayes experienced a large electrical shock, when her Veritech's bioelectrical component was hit. The feedback caused a shock to her central nervous system and brain. The sensors in her suit, overheated, causing the burns you see on her. Those we think she will recover from, but we don't know what the effects to her brain and nervous systems are. We are hopeful though that it will not be bad as we think, as brain activity has recovered after resuscitation. The blue liquid seems to also have some regenerative properties, which is why we placed her in this instead of treating the patient using conventional means.

Rick clinched his hands in anger, and turned to where Gloval and Lang were observing Lisa. "How can you say that so casually about her?!" Rick was furious, this was Lisa they were talking about, not just some random patient. Roy, who had went to talk to and hold Claudia when they came in, was startled to hear Rick yell so loud, reached out and put an arm on Rick in warning.

"Rick.." Roy said, his voice asking him to be understanding and patient.

Rick turned to Roy and shook Roy's arm off. He looked at Gloval and Lang and demanded to know. "What does this mean for Lisa?"

The two older men looked at the young man in front of them, they hated to be the ones to deliver painful news, especially to those that remained to help their loved ones recover any semblance of a normal life.

It was Dr. Lang that spoke finally, "We cannot hope for a full recovery, the shock was just too much for a human body to take. If she awakens, Lisa may be in a vegetative state the rest of her life or she may have some limited functionalities. It is yet too soon to tell. What I can tell you is that it's imperative for a patient to be surrounded by people who care and continue to talk to the patient during their recovery process. I hope that we can count on you to help your friend out?"

As Rick, Roy and Claudia stood by the tank that held their friend, Rick heard Claudia give a little sob and started to talk to Lisa to hurry up and heal and wake up as soon as she could. Rick watched as Roy embraced Claudia when she finally broke down in tears. Feeling as if he was intruding on a private moment, Rick reluctantly left the room vowing to return as soon as he could.

"Rick, wait up!" Roy called out to Rick just as he was about to enter the elevator. Rid paused and waited for Roy.

"Why'd you leave for Rick?"

"Well, it seemed like I wasn't needed and I didn't want to get in anybody's way, "replied Rick a bit sullen. Suddenly a question came to Rick that he should have asked Dr. Lang. "That blue stuff, Gloval said that all four of us were exposed, why was Lisa the only one testing it?"

"Well that's a good question Rick, but I think Lt. Commander Hayes convinced them that there no medical reason to subject you, Max and Ben to additonal tests as long as they had her. I don't think she wanted to overburden you three as she knew it was stressful enough to be a pilot and facing the Zentraedi in battle."

Roy sighed a big sigh, "Rick, Lisa was well of aware of the risks that she was taking when she agree to all this. I offered but Lisa fought hard to beat me out. She wanted to make a difference Rick, she didn't want to just sit back and watch and hope that the Zentraedi didn't annihilate us.

I thought I was a shoe in to be the test pilot, but Lisa worked her tail off in the simulators and she met all the physical requirements to qualify. Once that blue stuff came into play though and Lang got it working with the machines, Lisa in her Veritech was virtually unstoppable. Her instincts for flying in combat were always excellent, but combined with the reactiveness of the machine, she was amazing. Lang knew that it wasn't going to possible to equip every fighter with this liquid, but hoped to learn enough from it to apply some for the technology to our future fighters."

"Rick, I know you seem to have some interest in Lisa, and she's going to need her friends right now, so I hope I can count on you to come and see her until she gets better. Can you do that for me?' asked Roy gently. Getting a nod of agreement from Rick, Roy finished, "Claudia and I are gong to stay with her bit, maybe you can come by later and just check to see if there is any progress."

Rick would have done that whether or not Roy asked but just responded with a wan smile, "Sure Roy, I'll be sure to come by later."

With that, Rick got into the elevator, planning to return to his quarters to cleanup and take the time to absorb everything he had just learned.

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><p>Author's note: Hope I've thrown in a bit of a twist! Thanks for continuing to read and leave reviews! Updates will be made this weekend.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

It had only been two days since the accident but to Rick it felt like a lifetime. He leaned against the tank where Lisa lay unconscious, listening to the machines that monitored her heartbeat and tracked her brain activity. Claudia, Roy and even Captain Gloval had taken turns sitting by her side and talking to her, encouraging her to wake. The fact that there was continued brain activity was a good sign as the doctors hoped that it meant that Lisa would make a full recovery.

The burns she had suffered seemed to have healed, miraculously by the blue viscose liquid that surrounded Lisa and swirled around her. Rick hated the tank that she was in and kept him from touching her. He wanted to hold her hand, to run his finger along her cheek and let her know that she wasn't alone. They had warned him not to open the tank and to let that blue stuff do what it could for her, but Rick wasn't convinced that would be enough.

Looking around Rick realized that most of the main staff had left and that those that were remaining on watch were in the small break room. He could hear their light chatter and laughter and knowing this maybe his only chance, Rick unlocked the latches on the tank and slowly flipped the top open as not to make any sound. Checking to make sure he hadn't been discovered, Rick took a deep breath and then plunged his hand into the blue liquid. He thought it would have been cold and was surprised to find the liquid quite warm and inviting. He would almost say that it felt friendly and comforting, which was weird.

Seeing that Lisa's hand was near, he plunged his own hand down to pick up her lifeless fingers and entwined his fingers with hers.

Suddenly Rick heard a swooshing sound and felt a little dizzy. He closed his eyes for a second to clear his head and when he opened them he found himself, standing on top an overlook, where below he could see a beautiful green valley, with a stream running through the property feeding into a lake further down. Nestled in the valley was a beautiful Colonial style home and Rick wondered where he could be. Nothing was familiar to him.

"That's where I grew up," a voice next to him said, startling Rick. He turned to the voice to see Lisa standing next to him, barefoot, in a flowing white gown.

"Lisa! What, where, how did I get here?" asked Rick, wondering if he had gone mad or was dreaming. Maybe he had fallen asleep while standing watch over Lisa and had fallen asleep.

"I don't know Rick, I remember being in the house when I felt something and when I came outside, I found myself up here, with you."

Rick looked at Lisa with confusion, he didn't know what to think and blurted out, "but what are we doing here?"

Lisa looked at him with her sad green eyes and said, "I don't know Rick, the last thing I remember was being in the Knight and the next thing I found myself waking up in my childhood home. Maybe you can tell me what happened."

Rick just shook his head, he didn't know if this was real or just a dream, but he didn't want to be the one to tell her. Instead he just said, "I'm just as confused as you are. Have you seen anyone else since you've been here."

Lisa didn't look like she wanted to answer the question, but then an older woman materialized in front of them, who turned to Lisa and said, "Miss Lisa, you need to return back to the house and please bring your friend with you."

With that the figure disappeared, vanishing into air and Lisa simply said, "That was Mrs. HIll, she was our housekeeper when I was growing up."

* * *

><p>Rick didn't know what to think. Was this just some crazy dream? But then he felt Lisa take his hand, and thought to himself, wow it feels so real. Real or not, Rick decided to follow Lisa as she led to him a small path on the side of the hill, as they started down the path together, the swirling mist returned and he found themselves in front of the colonial house he had seen earlier.<p>

Lisa didn't seem surprised by their sudden appearance in front of the house and turned to face Rick.

"I honestly don't know how you got here. The last thing I remembered was being the the Emerald Knight and aiming for the landing bay. After that I woke up and found myself in the bedroom of my childhood home. I thought I was dreaming but haven't been able to wake up from the dream. During the time that I've been here, there are certain memories that have been recreated but I don't know why and now you are here.. Rick, can you tell me what happened?"

"Lisa, I don't know what to say. You made it back to the SDF-1, but you were hurt, badly. You suffered some burns from the flight suit monitoring your vital conditions, but the worst is that the feedback from the Veritech when you were hit. It may have caused some damage to your nervous system and brain. Dr. Lang had you put into the blue Zentraedi liquid and you'v been there for the last couple of days. I was visiting with you and I just wanted to touch you, to make sure you were still there and when I picked up your hand, I found myself here," Rick explained as best he could. This was starting to feel real to him, that he was standing here talking to Lisa and wanted to believe that this was true.

Lisa looked thoughtful for a minute and then said, "Hmmm, maybe that is why we are experiencing this. It's that blue gel! Did Dr. Lang tell you what we thought it can do?"

Rick thought back for a moment on the conversation he had with Gloval and Lang. "If I remember correctly, they said that it had some properties that could transmit information. Could it be doing that to us? I mean, did you experience this when the doctors were examining you."

"No, there's been no one else here except you Rick. Everyone else is just created from my memories, but I can't seem to generate them on my own, they aren't always the memories that I would want to relive. Do you think it could be Rick, that maybe you are here, because you were also exposed to the blue liquid when we were on the Zentraedi ship?"

They both looked at each other, in wonder and in amazement, not knowing what this meant.

"I don't know Lisa," Rick was about to continue, when they heard a loud noise from inside the house.

With a questioning look to one another, they silently agreed to go and investigate the noise.

* * *

><p>Rick looked around in awe as they entered the house. He had never been in a house so elegant, the double doorway they had stepped through, opened up to a large grey and white marble foyer with dual staircases on either side. The walls were covered in a white flocked wallpaper with a faint floral pattern and portraits aligned each side of the staircases. He quickly followed after Lisa, who took no note of the decor, instead heading straight back towards two open double doors.<p>

As they reached the door, Lisa paused looking into the room. Rick stopped just in time not to bump into her and seeing the sad look on Lisa's face, he followed her gaze into the room.

The tableau was slightly blurry and fuzzy, but started to sharpen as they stood at the door. A large grand piano was in the middle of the room and Rick saw two figures sitting on the piano bench. At first he thought that the woman sitting on the bench was Lisa, but looking closer, it wasn't her. Her hair was lighter than LIsa's in color and wound in an elegant bun at the nape of her head. She was working with a little girl with long brown hair on the piano, and helping her with her fingering on the piano. Rick could hear her, giving the little girl direction, "Lisa dear, try it again but try and extend your pinky to reach the last note."

Rick could see the look of concentration on the little girl's face as she studied the music book in front of her and slowly pressed the correct keys and as she completed the simple piece, he could see the look of satisfaction on her face. The woman beside her, gave her a side hug and said, "good job honey. Now let's do that a few more times just like that and then maybe we can try it a little faster."

The little girl just beamed at the woman next to her, "Okay mommy" and started to play again. As the little girl began to play the tune again, Rick turned to Lisa and could see tears falling from her eyes.

"She got sick about six months afterwards. They tried everything but the cancer just moved so fast and took her from us. Things were never the same at home without her. My father, never remarried and I stayed in this house with the housekeeper and a nanny while my father was stationed overseas. We would talk online everynight, but it wasn't the same as him being here. I wish I had more time to be with her."

Rick didn't say much, he knew what Lisa was feeling, he lost his own mother when he was not much older than Lisa was and gathered her in his arms, letting her lean on him and cry. They watched as the memory started to fade and Rick asked, "is it always like that?"

Lisa blew her nose into a tissue that magically appeared. "Yes, I was frightened at first when it started to to happen but scene's like this, I don't mind. It helps me to remember her and remember what she was like. She was beautiful wasn't she? I always envied her hair and wished that my hair would turn out the same color as hers, but it darkened as I got older."

Ricked who had always admired Lisa's honey colored hair just whispered, "Your hair is just as beautiful as your mom's and you look just like her. I thought it was you sitting on that bench at first. You were very cute when you little Lisa but I could tell even then you were stubborn as hell."

They waited a few minutes to see if anything else would happen, but nothing did.

Rick could feel Lisa pull away from him. With his arms still around her, she looked up at him and said, "I'm really glad that you are here with me." and hugged Rick tightly. Rick returned the hug, holding her the same way she held him. He knew that he couldn't be imagining this, her warmth and weight in his arms was real.

Suddenly Rick heard his name being called and surprised to hear it being called, he let Lisa go to see who was calling him. As she stepped away from him in confusion, Rick felt the same dizzyness affect him as before and closed his eyes to try and shake it away.

Reopening his eyes, he could hear Roy calling his name.

"Rick, wake up!" Roy shook him again. As Rick slowly woke up, Roy was pushing him back upright into the chair, "What were you doing Rick? You shouldn't be touching that stuff you don't know what it could do to you."

Realizing that he was back in Dr. Lang's lab, Rick sat straight up. "No, Lisa!" Frantically he looked around to see if Lisa was around and was dismayed to see that she was still unconsious in the tank.

Concerned, Roy and Claudia steadied Rick in his seat and Claudia in a soothing voice tried to calm Rick down. "There's been no change Rick..but she's no worse."

"That isn't what I mean.. I saw her!" shouted Rick excitedly, "and she was alive and I saw her house in the valley and Lisa played the piano when she was young."

Roy sharing a look with Claudia tried to calm Rick down. "Rick, you were dreaming, you fell asleep and I know you think you saw her, but you probably did dream that. Maybe Lisa told you she played the piano as a child?"

Rick could see that they were not going to believe him, but he knew what he saw and felt.

"I know you have a hard time believing me, but I saw her and talked to her. She was at the house she grew up in and she played the piano with her mom." Rick went on to describe his experience and what he saw. Dr Lang had come in during this time to check on Lisa and listened quietly to Rick's assertion that he had seen and been with Lisa.

Roy just shook his head and insisted it was just a dream when Dr. Lang interrupted.

"Lt. Hunter, I am intrigued with what you have claimed to have seen. I've known the Admiral and Lisa for many years and have been to the home their home. Indeed you have descibed their home as I remember seeing it, are you sure Lt. Cmdr. Hayes did not tell you about it previously?"

Rick thought back to the conversations that he had with Lisa that were non work related and with confidence said, "No, we never talked about her childhood or her family home." Hoping Dr. Lang would have an answer for this Rick waited for the doctor to respond.

"Hmm, it could be that your ability to connect to Lisa comes from your previous exposure to the Zentraedi liquid. Would you be willing to try again and see if you can make a reconnection?"

Rick readily responded and plunged his hand back into the tank to pick up Lisa's hand. He waited to feel the dizzyness that he experienced and was disappointed and frustrated when nothing happened. Confused as to why it wasn't working, he adamently reiterated that his experience was real and not a dream.

Sensing Rick's frustration, Dr. Lang made another suggestion. "I believe that Max Sterling may also have been in contact with the blue liquid. Would he mind if we called him to try as well?"

All agreed that it sounded like a sound idea and Rick and Roy left the lab to find Max and bring him to test Lang's theory.

* * *

><p>Author's note: sorry for delay in posting updates but here you go! Hope you like it and thanks for the reviews!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

It was morning before Rick and Roy were able to bring Max to the lab. The usually open Max, did not say much about where he was just that he had been in the city trying to locate someone, although he wouldn't give any more details than that. He was eager to do what he could to help Lt. Cmdr. Hayes. Unlike Lisa and Rick, Max and Lisa hit it off fairly well when they met and Max never understood Rick's attitude toward the commander. Seeing Rick in a near tizzy over finding him to help Lt. Cmdr. Hayes, he had a revelation about their relationship and was happy to return to base to be briefed on the situation.

Entering the lab with Max and Roy, Rick hurried over the tank to check to see that all was well with Lisa. Claudia reassured him that there was no change to her condition. Dr. Lang came in and explained to Max about the blue liquid and his possible exposure to it on the Zentraedi ship. Max in his ever logical way, commented that it was unlikely that he was exposed as he was the only one to evade capture and therefore was never in posession by the Zentraedi. Rick's hopes plummeted at the news but was glad that Max will willing to try and see if he could recreate Rick's so called experience with Lisa.

They all waited with baited breath, when Max placed his hand into the blue liquid and picked up Lisa's hand. He held it for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Rick let out a big frustrated sigh and wondered again if he just imagined everything. Taking Lisa's hand from Max, Rick tried again to see if he could connect to her again, but was diappointed when there was no effect.

Claudia seeing how Rick felt, so tired and defeated, suggested the Roy and Rick retire for a bit and that she would stay with Lisa for a while. Rick didn't want to leave, but knowing that he could be called into battle again, agreed to leave and get some rest but said that he would return later.

* * *

><p>Rick woke after a deep sleep and felt refreshed. He wanted to get back to Lisa as soon as possible and finished changing and getting ready in record time. Claudia laughed when she saw Rick on his return. His usual messy hair, was even worse than usual and his socks were mismatched. She was happy that Lisa had found someone to care for her and hoped that Lisa and Rick would have a happy ending together.<p>

After saying goodbye to Claudia, Rick wandered a bit around the room Lisa was in, all the while talking to Lisa about the various things in the room. He wondered outloud if Lisa liked music and then said to himself that even if she did like music, he didn't know what kind. Spying a folder attached to the tank, Rick wandered over to it and removed the clipboard in the folder.

Curious, he opened the folder to find it was Lisa's patient record. He knew he shouldn't look at it but couldn't help it and started at the top and was immediately surprised to find that Lisa's real name was Elizabeth Grace Hayes. He had never known that about her and finally made the connection to Lisa's fighting skills and mystery of the simulator pilot. It made so much sense to him now but made him realize how much Lisa had been doing the last couple of months. She had been pulling double duty by handling her regular responsibilities as well as those as a test pilot. He was amazed at how well she held up and his admiration for her grew even more.

Rick also noted ruefully that Lisa's birthday had passed the month before, he felt bad that he hadn't known about it and honestly he coudn't remember if Claudia had mentioned doing something for her. Rick made a promise to himself that he would take the time to learn more about Lisa. He flipped through the file noting that the file data started after the return from the Zentraedi ship. He read the portion of the report that mentioned Lisa's reaction to the blue liquid and noted that Lisa had told Dr. Lang that it almost felt like it was calling her and that the liquid seemed to like her. They were unsure whether or not the material was sentient or not but the sense she received from the liquid was that it was created and not a naturally occuring substance in the Zentraedi world.

Putting the folder down, Rick went over the tank where Lisa lay. He watched as the blue liquid continued to flow around her body. It fascinated him and he wondered what it was doing with Lisa. He was happy to see that Lisa's physical injuries seem to be healing quickly, and in some areas there were no indication that she even suffered a burn, even though her medical chart identified the locations of all the burns and abrasions she received.

Wanting to provide some comfort to her and let her know that he was there, Rick picked up her hand and stroked the back of her hand before intwining her fingers with his. Immediately Rick felt the room swim around him and once again he found himself outside the childhood home of Lisa. It was not yet dusk and the weather felt warm. Not seeing Lisa outside the front of the house, Rick wandered inside the house. He looked in all the downstairs rooms, the main salon where the piano was, the family room, large formal dining room and also the large library that held a huge oak desk.

Calling her name and still not finding her, Rick wandered through the kitchen to find the back door open. Wondering if Lisa was in the backyard, Rick walked out and saw Lisa standing near the creek, silent, observing what he could see as two people on the opposite bank. He approached slowly, not wanting to scare Lisa and whatever memory or thought she had been shown. He stopped a few feet back and at first could not see what Lisa was seeing, but then the focus seemed to shift and it was almost as if he was two feet away from the two figures on the bank.

Rick listened as the lanky young man, with the dark brown hair, express his feelings, "I can't take all the fighting Lisa, I have to get away. Don't tell the Admiral, but my transfer to Mars Base Sara has been approved." Rick watched as the man pulled from her sitting postion a teenage Lisa Hayes to her feet and pointed to the sky.

"Do you see that planet over there, Lisa? In a few months, that is where I will be. I hate leaving you, but I just can't stay. I hope you understand. When and if this dreadful war is over, I'll return to you as soon as I can." With that, Rick watched in disgust as the man kissed Lisa softly on the lips. Rick wanted to object and push his way forward to tell off who he now knew was Lisa's former finance, but he found that he could not move.

He was forced to watch as the young Lisa, with stars in her eyes, kiss Karl ardently and then said, "Oh Karl, I'll miss you so much. I know Karl! I'll join the military too and I'll work hard to meet you there on Mars Base Sara."

Karl hugged Lisa and kissed her on the forehead, "I hope it will be soon Lisa, I will be waiting for you. Remember, I love you!" Somewhere in the distance, Karl's name was being called and Rick watched as Karl quickly gave Lisa another kiss goodbye before leaving her on the creek bank. Karl turned back to look at her and wave goodbye before fading into the mist.

Young Lisa with tears in her eyes, waved goodbye to Karl, "I love you too and I promise I'll do my best to get there as soon as I can."

* * *

><p>Rick felt released from whatever was holding him back and found himself standing right next to Lisa, who was observing her younger self waving goodbye to Karl. He could see the tears falling from her face and wondered if all of Lisa's memories were this painful and sad.<p>

Lisa finally coming to, noticed Rick standing next to her and with a joyful smile, she greeted him, "Rick, you're back!"

Glad to see that Lisa was happy to see him, he quickly moved to embrace her and held her for a few minutes. She returned the hug and the warmth that Rick felt when he was with her returned.

Wondering if he should ask about the scene he had seen, he was about to question Lisa about it, when she opened up on her own.

"Did you see that Rick?"

"Yes, I did, " was all he said, not wanting to say what he really wanted to say.

"I was very young and naive wasn't I?" Lisa said sadly.

Rick, quietly thinking, finally said, "No, not at all Lisa, maybe you didn't join the military because you believed in it, but you're the embodiment of what I think an officer should be. Even though you're a hard ass sometimes, it's obvious that you believe in what you do, and your committment to do your best and keep us safe is unquestionable. I admit, I was surprised to learn that you only joined to get to Mars Base to join that guy, I wouldn't have thought you that much a romantic."

Lisa blushed, "I was young and obviously very stupid. I don't regret the path that I took, but my relationship with Karl caused a lot of problems between my father and I. He was never happy with my relationship with Karl and even unhappier when Karl and I got engaged while he was still on Mars Base Sara."

At that admission, Rick couldn't hold back. A bit disgusted at Karl's lack of care for Lisa, Rick let loose a bit, "I can't believe what you saw in the guy Lisa, he left you here on Earth? How could he leave you here unprotected. I would have never left the woman I love just because I couldn't deal with the realities of life. I would have stayed with you and found a way for us to be together and deal with whatever came our way together."

Lisa was taken a back by Rick's words. They weren't much different from what her father had told her so many years ago, but Lisa still had a soft spot for Karl and tried to defend him to Rick. "He was planning to return for me Rick, if I didn't make it to Mars, Karl was going to come back. Unfortunately, he died there before he could return. It's ironic that I would survive, while he didn't after the war ended."

Rick, annoyed that Lisa would still defend Karl after what he had seen, but knew he couldn't say anymore without incurring Lisa's wrath, simply said, "he was too old for you anyway. What were you, like sixteen years old?"

Lisa snorted at Rick's double standards, "And how old are you compared to Minmei, Rick? Karl was only four years older than me."

Rick couldn't let it go and retorted back, "Well, I wasn't asking Minmei to marry me, we just hung out a couple of times, but I was never her boyfriend."

Softening his tone, as he didn't want to fight with Lisa as he didn't know how much time he would have with her this time he decided to be honest with her and said, "To tell the truth I was a bit jealous to see you two kiss like that. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't move. "

"Ohh, Rick," Lisa sighed and placed her hand on the side of his face, while Rick, rested his forehead on hers and looked into her beautiful green eyes.

"Do you think you can learn to care about me as much as you did him?" asked Rick softly.

Lisa smiled and leaned up to plant a soft kiss on the lips, "Rick, I already do..."

Smiling back at her, Rick started to return Lisa's kiss, when he felt himself being pulled from her once again.


	11. Chapter 11

Rick woke to find himself back in Lisa's room in the lab. Disappointed as he didn't get to spend much time with her, this time, he tried to remember all the steps that he had to take in order to connect with her. He couldn't figure out the secret to being with her, but decided he would continue to try.

He stayed with Lisa as long as he could and then left to go get a meal before meeting with the other pilots. This was the first time that he had met with them since the battle an as expected they had a lot of question regarding the Emerald Knight. Rick not knowing what he was allowed to say, let the pilots know that he didn't have any answers for them. The veritech in question, was still in the hangar being worked on and looking at it more closely, Rick could see scarring and laser damage to the ship. He was surprised at how well the new Veritech had done in battle and wondered what enhancements had been made to allow it to take such a beating. Admiring the markings on the ship, he also noticed that on the tail of the ship, there was a emblem, of a sword and the guard of the sword, was in the shape of a crown. Rick wondered who had selected the markings on the ship.

It was Roy who came up to Rick after the meeting and said, "I wanted to call it the Ice Queen and paint it a pale silvery blue, but Lisa, thought that was too obvious. We settled on the green, the same as her eyes and the gold to compliment her hair. I had them add the crown to the sword, to acknowledge her as our Ice Queen. She loved it."

Rick nodded in understanding, he had thought her nickname as being appropriate at one time, but he knew how warm and caring Lisa really was. "Thanks Roy,"

Roy continued, "The data that they received from the battle from this ship and the info from Lisa's bodysuit gave Dr. Lang's team a lot to work with. They are working on improvements as we speak based on that data. It's going to save a lot of lives Rick."

"How can you say that Roy? Lisa's lying there in the blue stuff, who knows when she will wake up and if she will, was it worth it?" Rick was angry. He hadn't really let himself feel that way, but he was mad that she was willing to sacrifice herself, and for who? Those ungrateful citizens on the ship who had protested and made threats against officials on the ship?

Roy sighed, "She would have thought it was worth it. She thought that if she could help one more pilot come back home safely to someone that loved them then it was worth it. Like I said before, Lisa wasn't willing to just sit back and do nothing. She wanted to do anything she could to ensure our survival even if it meant testing a new veritech, or allowing herself to be subjected to that blue liquid." Roy clapped Rick on the back, "C'mon cheer up, she wouldn't want to see you like this. Why don't you get something to eat. Claudia and I are going to go and check on Lisa a bit. Take care okay?"

With that Roy left, leaving Rick alone to think on what Roy had told him. Rick wished that he had gotten to know Lisa better prior to this, that maybe he could have been one that Lisa confided in about all of this. He remembered how she had opened up to him when they were on the Zentraedi ship and he remembered how she had taken care of her, when he had nearly drowed in a pool of water. He thought back and wondered how long it had been since his feelings for her had changed. Was it only since the Zentraedi capture and escape?

Thinking back further, Rick remembered thinking that there was something more to Lisa after he rescued her from Mars Base Sara. Her heartbreaking cries after he had set her on the landing deck, the way she ran to the nearest open window to watch Mars slowly fade in the distance. He didn't know why he had stayed to watch over her on the deck, but he hadn't wanted to leave her alone and in fact wanted to go and comfort her and let her cry in his arms. Even if it was over someone who didn't deserve her.

* * *

><p>Rick returned back to the lab where Lisa lay. He held her hand, wanting her to know that he was near and and slowly stroked his thumb over the top of his hand, telling her about his day and the revelations that he had about the feelings he had for her. He welcomed the dizzyness that came over him, as he knew it would bring him back to Lisa.<p>

As he came to, Rick found himself in front of Lisa's home once again, but this time Lisa was there, waiting for him.

"Rick, you're here!" Lisa was happy to see him and quickly ran over to him and embraced him. Rick, happy to see her too, returned her affectionate embrace.

"Did you do it Lisa, were you able to bring me here?" he asked, wondering if Lisa had some control over this.

But Lisa just shook her head negatively and said, "No, although I was able to sense that you were near, I have no control over anything that happens here or what I am shown."

Worried and not knowing how much time with Lisa he would have this time, Rick gave Lisa an update on her physical condition, her friends, and let her know that Max had even tried to connect with her but that he had not been able to. Lisa speculated that he hadn't probably been exposed to the blue liquid but also shared with Rick her own hypothesis on the abilities of the blue liquid.

As they sat on the steps leading up to the house, Lisa explained more what she thinks she figured out. "The liquid can't communicate with me directly, but it does give me a sense that it knows that I am different from the Zentraedi. I believe this liquid was used for by Zentraedi for medical purposes as they didn't seem to have any type of medical personnel on the ship. The liquid would sense what was wrong and begin repairing the damaged Zentraedi, but they don't seem to have the same type of feelings and memories that we have. That each of our memories and experiences are different, while the Zentraedi have shared memories and memories of one that came before them. I haven't figured out what that means, yet but I have my suspiscions. I think and I hope I am right that they are trying to repair my mind and brain and trying to understand me through my memories."

Rick supposed that Lisa's hypothesis was correct and hoped that it was true. Then he asked, "Well what about me, why I am I here then?"

Lisa just smiled, "I don't know yet, maybe they can sense that I like you and want to help me recover!"

Rick continued to hold Lisa's hands and asked, "Will you remember that I was here when you wake up?"

"Those are all good questions, but I don't know any of the answers to them, "Lisa said sadly.

Rick, always trying to find the positive side of things, suggested that Lisa show him around her home.

Happily Lisa led the way and gave Rick a tour of the house. He had seen most of the public rooms downstairs so they spent most of their time, in Lisa's old bedroom, where she showed him some old photos of her as a child and her teenage years. They talked about their awkward teenage years, but from Rick can tell, Lisa did not have cause for complaint. Even as a teen, she was beautiful, although her face held some baby fat and although her mother had passed and the Admiral was often gone, Lisa had a strong network of friends and the housekeeper and governess that kept watch over Lisa. Laughing at some antics Lisa had pulled with her friends, they once again heard a loud noise outside.

Lisa stood up from where she had been sitting on the bed and motioned to Rick to follow her out. This seemed to be a common enough occurance that Lisa knew now to listen for and follow the sound. They walked downstairs and outside where the house then disappeared and an airfield had now appeared. It was hot and dry out there and Rick was glad that they were standing in the shadow of the flight control tower.

They watched as an F-16 fighter jet landed gracefully in the desert airstrip and watched as two pilots climbed out of the plane. Rick could see one of the pilots chatting animatedly to the other older lankier pilot. Rick recognized the younger pilot as Lisa who was still talking excitedly about the flight. Rick focused on the other pilot and was pleased to find that it was none other than a young Roy Fokker.

It was Lisa that broke the silence, "Roy came to do pilot assessments for the Robotech Academy. It's how I met him and one of the reasons I got accepted to the Academy. Hmm, let me see, I must have been about 17 years old then, you were maybe twelve or thirteen at the time?"

Rick looked at Roy and envied him for his confidence even at that young age. He wondered if he would ever stack up to his big brother. He decided to pose the question to Lisa, knowing she would give him a truthful answer.

"I've always envied Roy, with his easy going nature and his ability to handle just about anything. Do you think that I'll be like that one day?"

Lisa laughed, "Oh Rick, don't you know? You already are! You may not have the years of experience that he has, but this past year you've proven to be an excellent pilot, and have the makings to be a great leader. You may not follow directions all the time, but you definitely have the qualities to be as good as Roy!"

Rick was embarrassed, he wasn't sure if Lisa meant it. Seeing that he still questioned her assessment, Lisa continued. "Rick, you've proven in battle and when we were captured by the Zentraedi to be resouceful and levelheaded in incredibly stressful times. Those attributes as well as your thoughful and insightful input regarding what we have seen, make it more than obvious that you are more than just a hard headed pilot."

Rick felt better and it must have showed on his face because Lisa quickly punched him in the stomach, hard enough to make him gasp. "Don't get all cocky about what I just said about you. You are not infallible or indestructable and I would rather you still take caution when in a fight because I need you to come back, alright?"

Rick pulled Lisa into his arms and kissed her gently. She smiled up at him and Rick was about to kiss her again, when he felt the dizzyness take over. With not much time, he told her to hurry and recover.

Rick woke to find him back in Lisa's recovery room at the lab. A quick glance at the clock showed him that not even an hour had passed since he had arrived and wondered how that could be since he could swear he spent hours with Lisa at the house. Hoping that the longer time spent with her meant that she was recovering, Rick stayed another hour before deciding he would go look up Max and see what he was up to.


	12. Chapter 12

Over the next few days Rick spent his time divided between his squad and patrol duties and spending time with Lisa. He still couldn't figure out the trigger to send himself to where Lisa was, but that didn't mean that he wasn't allowed in.

In those moments that he was allowed into her world to spent time with her, he got to experience some of her experiences that helped to shape her into the strong commanding leader she was. Most of it was positive, but there were a few incidents with Lisa's father that Rick understood some of the pressure that Lisa was under. Model daughter, model officer, but Admiral Hayes wanted to keep Lisa safe and under his protection. Rick saw how hard Lisa fought to be seen for herself and not just the admiral's daughter to be given special consideration. He was especially impressed when she refused to be reassigned to Alaska Base, when Gloval and Lisa presented their report on the Zentraedi forces.

For Lisa she got to see the arguments and heated discussions under a new light and admitted that she also was not fair to her father and understood why he sometimes tried to persuade her from her choices. She and Rick discussed it and she asked that when she woke up, that he remind her of the conversation so that she can contact her father to reconcile.

Dr. Lang and Rick also noticed that the blue liquid seemed to not as active as before and Rick hoped that this was an indication that Lisa would soon be waking up. He wondered what would happen once she work up and whether she would be the same bright vibrant person he connected with or is she would just be a shell of her former self. Rick decided he would only worry about that when it happened and concentrate now on being able to connect with her as much as possible in her current state.

Capt. Gloval and Dr. Lang had discussed contacting Admiral Hayes regarding the condition of his daughter, but held off as they were hoping she would eventually wake on her own. They gave themselves to the end of the week knowing that if Lisa did not wake and that the Admiral knew that he had not been informed, there would be hell to pay for both of them. They were taking a risk but at the moment did not feel that Lisa's physical life was in danger as she was breathing on her own.

It was a day before their deadline to decide to inform the Admiral, and Rick was once again found himself in Lisa's mind or dreamstate. He found himself in a beautiful meadow where Lisa was sitting on a plaid blanket playing with a bunch of frolicking puppies. Lisa motioned to him to come and sit next to her while an interested brown and white pup came up to him and started to investigate his shoe and play with his shoelace.

Rick was reminded of the day that he and Lisa had played with the puppies at the pet store. He couldn't help but to sit back and watch her as she snuggled with a little puppy and kissed it on the nose. It was incredibly cute and he could see Lisa was brimming with happiness.

"It's just like that day we ran into each other, right Rick?" she said, smiling and leaning over to pick up a puppy who was clamoring for attention. As she held the two puppies in her hand, she continued, "I was a bit depressed that day Rick, I felt so small that day, like nothing that I was doing could make a difference in the world. When I started the testing and allowed Dr. Lang to test with the blue gel, I thought it was enough to know that I was doing my best to make a difference in the world. But sometimes I had these dark thoughts...that I had no one on this Earth or this ship to care for or that no one cared for me. You helped me to remember that day that I did have people I cared about on this ship, Claudia, Roy, Sammie, Kim and Vanessa and even Capt. Gloval. They weren't the only ones though, I realized Rick, that I cared for you too. So much more than I ever thought."

Lisa looked at Rick, her smile bright and her beautiful green eyes shining with tears. "I don't know if this is real or a dream Rick, but I hope that you being here with me, is real. They are telling me that it's about time for me to wake up soon. If this is real Rick and if I wake up from this and don't remember, can you help me remember?"

Rick didn't know what say, he pulled Lisa into his arms and hugged her tight, stroking her hair, comforting her and trying to convey his own feelings for her. Lisa could see it in his eyes when he pulled away a bit to kiss her gently on the lips and said, "Of course, I will. I'll help you remember, I promise."

With that and a final kiss, Rick found himself once again in Dr. Lang's lab watching over Lisa. Dr. Lang was in the room and observed Rick's return. He told him that it looked like Rick had fallen asleep but that was all, no other indication of anything unusual. Rick thanked the doctor, and then relayed what Lisa had said about waking soon. Dr. Lang just nodded his thanks and said that he would keep Rick informed of any progress.

Dr. Lang and Capt. Gloval had both been impressed with Lt. Cmdr. Hunter's dedication to Lisa and hoped that when and if Lisa woke that maybe the two would be able to find a way to be together.

* * *

><p>It was the medical staff that noticed the changes to Lisa's state. Her breathing quicken and her heart started to beat a little faster. The staff notified Dr. Lang of the changes and he rushed into LIsa's room and had his staff inform Dr. Gloval that Lisa may be awakening. He didn't have much longer to wait, when Lisa's eyes started to flutter open.<p>

They didn't rush her and allowed her to waken at her own pace all the while monitoring the situation. The staff readied a clean bed nearby, hoping that Lisa would be stable enough to move to the bed when she woke.

Lisa felt tired and barely could open her eyes. She had felt like she had just gone through a tunnel mixed with sights and sounds all blending together. It disoriented her and made her feel a bit nauseous. Over this internal din, she could also hear Dr. Lang and his team working around her. She hoped the noise would stop soon as it was too much for her to bear. Finally it seemed to quiet down and Lisa could only hear Dr. Lang's team in the room. At this point Lisa felt safe to try and open her eyes again and was rewarded to see Dr. Lang over her, slowly asking her questions.

Lisa followed his directions, indicating that she could hear him, but could not move her arms or legs yet. Using her eyes to blink once for yes and two blinks for no, she answered what questions she could.

Dr. Lang was pleased with her responses, it looked as if there was no impact to Lisa's mental facilities, but would have to wait until she was able to speak to assess if there was any permanent damage. Lisa was soon able to move her fingers and toes as well and regain some limited movement to her body. With help from the medical staff, Lisa was removed from the tank, cleaned and bathed and the helped to rest comfortably in the bed nearby. Her speech had also returned but had a drowsy quality to it. Dr. Lang had the liquid transfered to a smaller tank as he wanted to study it more, especially after all the Lt. Hunter had told him about what it had been doing for Lisa. Dr. Lang also hoped that Lisa would be able to provide greater detail into as well.

Lisa, who tried to stay awake as best she could during the transfer, fell back asleep almost immediately after being transfered into the bed. After checking her vitals, there did not seem to be much concern other than Lisa must still be tired from her ordeal. Seeing her sleeping soundly, Dr. Lang left his lab to provide Capt. Gloval and update on her condition.

* * *

><p>Capt. Gloval was pleased to hear that Lisa had awoken and seem to be on the road to recovery. He called Claudia into his ready room to share the good news and was pleased to see the grin on Claudia's face when told of her condition. Claudia asked if it was okay to inform Roy and Rick of her change as well. Capt. Gloval tried to hide his own grin and gruffly told Claudia that she had leave to do so and that he would inform the Trio on the bridge of Lisa's improved condition.<p>

Claudia rushed out to inforrm Roy and Rick of the news and found them on the Prometheus go over their Veritechs. They couldn't wait to go see her and made plans to meet in half and hour to go and see if Lisa was ready to receive any company.

As Rick cleaned up and got ready for his visit, he wondered again if what he experienced was real and would Lisa remember him being there? He had promised to make sure she remembered but what if it was all just a figment of his imagination and she didn't remember any of it. He decided that he wouldn't say anything yet to her and check on her first before discussing what he had experienced with her.

Unfortunatly, when they met at the lab to see Lisa, they were informed that she was sleeping still but that they could individually check on her if they wished. Claudia wanted to see with her own eyes that Lisa was okay and went in first. She didn't stay long but nodded happily to Roy that Lisa seemed to be sleeping this time, not unconscious. Rick was a little more hesitant to enter. It felt different somehow when he visited her when she was unconscious, but now that she was just sleeping, he felt that maybe he was overstepping his boundaries. They never really went on a date and spending one day together didn't really constitute a relationship, did it?

The nurse attending Lisa asked Rick if he wanted to go in and see her and said, "your girlfriend is sleeping pretty soundly, I don't think you would wake her if that is what you are worried about."

Rick blushed a bit and Claudia just gave him a sly smille and gave him a push on the shoulder, "Go on Rick, you've spent so much time with her, you should go in and check to make sure she is okay."

Stammering a bit, Rick agreed and slowly opened the door and quietly walked into the room. It was nice to see Lisa out of the tank and in a warm cozy bed. Lisa was laying on her side and had one of her hands tucked under her cheek. He thought that people only slept like that in commercials and thought how sweet Lisa looked. He crept a bit closer to her bed, wanting to stroke her hair, but didn't want to surprise her and waking her up. He whispered to her softly, "Lisa, I hope you remember..." , he watched her for a few more minutes and was about to leave when he heard Lisa murmer his name in her sleep. Smiling to himself, he left, ready to return when Lisa awoke.


	13. Chapter 13

Lisa woke up from her sleep feeling refreshed. She stretched her body, taking mental inventory of her body. She was amazed at how soft her skin looked, no sign of the burns she incurrred. She wondered if the blue liquid would be helpful to use for other injuries or if it only had the affect on those who had been in contact with the blue liquid on the Zentraedi ship. Dr. Lang had informed her even thought she hadn't been able to respond back, about their concerns of her recovery. Lisa mentally went through a quick review of the multiplication table, the different fighter squads and the various people that worked on the bridge and was pleased that she could remember with ease all their names and the squad names and leaders.

Lisa thought back on the battle and shook her head that she was not able to come through it unscathed. She hoped that she would have been able to do more and decided that she would need to convice Dr. Lang and Capt. Gloval that they needed to continue with the research and testing of the blue liquid and it's ability to connect a user to a Veritech in amazing ways. Satisfied with her decision on her next course of action, Lisa decided to tackle the other issue that had been bothering her.

Lisa didn't know why, but she was experiencing a strong need to see that Rick wa alright. She knew that his Veritech had entered the bay prior to the Emerald Knight, but wanted to see for herself that he was okay. She didn't know why, but she awoke with a sense that she needed him there, she wondered what it could mean.

Lisa was still pondering on her increased feelings for Rick, when a nurse walked in to check on her. Greeting Lisa, she walked through the tests that she needed to go through that morning. There were not many and the nurse let her know that Dr. Lang would be in to see her shortly. As she was getting ready to leave Lisa, the nurse said, "Well I know your boyfriend is anxious to see you so don't let Dr. Lang keep you too long!"

Wondering what she meant but too shy to ask, Lisa just nodded her head and decided to wait and see what she meant.

Dr. Lang came in and spent some time reviewing with Lisa what she remembered about the battle and while she was unconscious. Lisa expected these questions from the doctor and tried to explain what she felt. "I don't remember much about anything that happened while I in the tank. There was a general feeling that I have that, they wanted me to get better and that they wanted me to be happy." Lisa tried to remember more before answering in more detail. "I think that it found my life to be interesting and different to the Zentraedi life cycle. That I was born and grew to an adult, they were fascinated I felt by my childhood. The sense I got was that Zentraedi were fully grown to begin with and did not have individual personalities until after... after what, I'm not sure, but that individual personality came sometime later." Lisa thought about what she just told Dr. Lang. It seemed to be clearer and clearer to her all the time. "They said, that the Zentraedi were always like the one before... do you think they are implying that they are clones?"

Dr. Lang was also coming to the same conclusion that Lisa was and nodded his head in agreement. "We will have to study this more and if you get any more feelings from them let me know." Wanting to know more whether Lisa coud recall Rick's visits, Dr. Lang probed Lisa a bit more about her unconscious state. "Did you ever feel that there was anyone else with you?"

Lisa looked at Dr. Lang puzzled, "With me? How?"

Dr. Lang just smiled and said, "Well your friends were here with you all the time, I just wanted to know if you could sense their presence."

"No, not really, " Lisa said sadly. She didn't want to mention her increased need to see Rick and asked, "Can I ask who stopped by?"

Dr. Lang checked his watch, he just laughed and said, "I don't think you need me to tell, you. I'm sure they are already here."

Dr. Lang walked to the door and opened it. Confirming that he was right, he asked Lisa if she was ready for company. Lisa smiled and nodded her head in agreement, and wasn't surprised to see Claudia and Roy come in. She greeted them and accepted hugs and flowers that they had brought her but she was disappointed that Rick was not with them, even though she didn't know why.

They stayed to chat with her for about 15 minutes, letting her know that they would return after their shifts were over. Lisa thanked them for coming and watched as they left the room. Sighing to herself and shaking her head to stop her over active imagination, she heard some conversation outside her door before hearing a knock on the door.

Wondering who it could be, Lisa called out for the person to enter and was surprised to find Rick Hunter opening the door. Lisa's heart swelled with happiness and she had to keep her feelings in check to not let them show.

Rick had a huge grin on his face when he entered and came in also carrying some beautiful flowers for Lisa. They reminded her of the wildflowers that used to grow near her home and she thanked him sincerely when he presented them to her. Lisa wondered if he could hear her heart pounding so loudly and looked at him as he took a seat in the chair next to her bed.

"I'm glad you're recovering Lisa, we were all so worried about you!"

"Thanks Rick, did you also come to sit with me when I was out?"

Rick was a little sad to hear that Lisa didn't remember his visits and decided not to say anything yet about what he experienced with her. He didn't want to freak her out.

There was an awkward pause as they both tried to think of something to say, but it was Rick who beat Lisa to it. "Capt. Gloval and Roy told me about you piloting The Emerald Knight. You really saved our necks out there. "

"Thanks, Rick. I wish I could have told you what I was doing. I think you might have understood a little about why I felt I had to do it."

Rick understood but didn't necessarily agree with all the risks that she took, especially linking up to the Veritech in a way that could have damanged her irreparably. "Your connection to the Veritech though, through that blue stuff was kinda risky though. Don't you think?"

Lisa knowing that this was would be the general reaction if this ever got out, simply said, "We have to take greater risks right now, the threat is too great. Rick, you saw what the Zentraedi can do, they can destroy a planet! I can't let that happen. Even now I feel sick to my stomach everytime I think about what Dolza did!"

Rick concerned about upsetting Lisa, decided that now was not the time to continue the lines of questioning and asked her what Dr. Lang had said.

On this subject Lisa was much happier to discuss, "Dr. Lang said that they want me to rest a few more days and get my strength back and then I can return to duty. He was surprised as I am that I've recovered so quickly. It might have been months or years before I woke up if I hadn't been affected by the blue stuff."

Lisa looked at Rick questioningly, "Have you noticed any weird reactions to the blue stuff? I mean do you hear it calling you or anything like that?"

Rick wanted to tell her everything, but instead said, "I am drawn to it and it does fascinate me, watching it swirl around like it's alive, but no I haven't felt anything like you described."

Lisa sighed, she had hoped Rick had experienced something out of the ordinary with the blue liquid and was a bit disappointed to hear otherwise.

Rick didn't stay long, as he knew that Lisa still needed to rest but he asked if it would be okay for him to come back and see her. Lisa was thrilled and told him that she looked forward to his return. Rick leaned over and kissed Lisa on the forehead, said his goodbyes and left the lab, wondering if there was any way to help trigger her memory.

After Rick left, Lisa took her tablet from the side table that Claudia left her and checked her personal email. Seeing that there was nothing that needed her immediate attention, she spent some time reading the news familizaing herself with the news coming from Macross City as they were not receiving any transmissions from Earth. Bored with the local news, she selected a playlist from her music folder and allowed the soothing sounds of the music from the Big Band Era to relax her enough to fall asleep.

It was a few hours before Lisa woke, a tray with food was setup on the table next to her, apparently she had slept through lunch. Still a bit groggy from waking, she thought about the pleasant dream that she had. That Rick and her were at her parent's home, enjoying a picnic and exploring the woods around the area. She smiled and wished that dream could be a reality. It felt so real in some way and she blushed at the thought of being so silly as to dream of him. Lisa got up and spent some time exploring the small room and even donned the robe lying on her bed and left to room to enter Dr. Lang's lab. He greeted her with a smile when he saw her and asked how she was feeling.

Lisa responded that she felt well and Dr. Lang let her know that her tests showed that everything was normal, in fact she was in better than before. Apparently the liquid had not only healed the burns she had, but also removed a scar on her right knee that she had received when she was a child as well as some other minor scars she had that she had received as a child. "In fact, you are better than you were before," Dr. Lang pronounced. He also told her that he saw no reason to keep her in the lab and that the next day if she felt well enough she could return to her quarters for the rest of her recovery. Lisa was happy to hear that as she wanted to get back to a normal life as soon as possible.

Claudia came in to visit in the afternoon as well and brought with her some of Lisa's clothes so she could change when she was ready to leave the next day. Claudia also teased Lisa about Rick and let her know that Rick had been a constant by her side while she was unconscious. Lisa tried to get more details out of Claudia but Claudia just wagged a finger at her and said, "You will just need to find out for yourself."

It was not until evening when Rick was able to return. He brought with him some food from the food court that he hoped to share with Lisa and the two sat together in her room enjoying the variety of foods that he brought. Lisa couldn't eat as much as she wanted as Dr. Lang had told her to take it easy, but she was able to eat two carne asada tacos and the slice of chocolate cake that Rick had bought. Rick told Lisa about what she had missed in the last week that she was healing.

Lisa informed Rick that Dr. Lang was going to let her leave the next day and Rick offered to pick her up and escort her back to her quarters. She was pleased at his suggestion and he agreed to return the next day at 10am to take her back. Still unsure of where they stood with one another, Rick and Lisa hugged goodnight and Lisa gave him a peck on the cheek before he left. As he left, Lisa could hear her heart pounding and wondered what it was about him that made her feel that way.


	14. Chapter 14

"Do you want to come in Rick?" Lisa asked. Rick had picked her up from the lab at the agreed upon time and it didn't take long for them to reach her quarters.

"I know I don't have much to offer right now, but maybe a cup of tea?" she asked.

Rick was happy to spend more time with Lisa and wanted a chance to talk to her about what he had experienced and it felt like now was as good a time as any. Roy had encouraged him to tell Lisa as well. He would like nothing better for Lisa and Rick to find the kind of happiness that he had with Claudia and as a pilot's life was possibly too short to not make the most of time that you had with someone you cared about.

Rick settled himself on her couch while Lisa put her stuff away and started the tea. They made idle chatter as they waited for the kettle to boil, which didn't take long and Lisa measured out some tea leaves to put in the teapot to steep as she settled in next to him.

Knowing that he had to tell her and that he had to know, Rick decided to tell Lisa about his experience.

"I don't know how you are going to take this Lisa, but I wanted to tell you something."

Lisa became anxious. Rick seemed nervous and he ran his hand through his already messy hair, not knowing where to start. Her usual natural reaction would have been to shy away and try and change the subject when things became uncomfortable but for some reason, Lisa decided that she had to hear what Rick had to say whether it was bad or good.

"When I saw that it was you that Roy was holding in his arms when he pulled you out of the Knight, my heart just stopped. Roy had to perform CPR on you Lisa, before letting the medics take over and I was paralyzed, knowing that there was nothing I could do. I was really worried about you Lisa, especially after Dr. Lang and Capt. Gloval explained about the Veritech link and the blue liquid. But there was something else, I wasn't quite truthful when I said that the blue liquid had no affect on me. I was drawn to it as well, but more drawn to you, laying there, so still and alone. I wanted to make sure that you knew you weren't alone and that I was there with you. I wasn't supposed to but I reached in and held your hand Lisa and the most amazing thing happened. I found you! I don't know how it worked but that blue stuff brought me to you and I got to see some of your past Lisa. I got to see your house, and see your mom and dad and even your housekeeper."

Lisa was stunned she didn't know what to say and just listened as Rick continued to explain everything that he had seen. Rick was so excited to tell her that he didn't even notice her reaction and slowly trailed off as he noticed that she wasn't saying anything at all.

"Lisa, are you okay, I'm sorry, I know it's a bit overwhelming. I don't know if what I saw was real or not, but I had to tell you..."

Lisa didn't respond but leaned down and opened a drawer on the coffee table and pulled out a thick photo album. She placed the album on her lap and opened to a page and turned the page to face Rick.

Rick immediately recognized the building as Lisa's childhood home and described to her in great detail about the decor and the home itself. Lisa flipped to another page containing a family portrait and Rick made Lisa smile by telling her that she "looked just like her mom." They talked for the next couple of hours about Rick's experience but Rick was saddened when Lisa admitted that she didn't remember him being there. "You made me promise Lisa, that I'd help you remember.. and that you wanted to make things better between you and your father."

He also wanted her to remember because she had admitted feelings for him that he needed her to admit in the real world as well. They talked more about the connection that the blue liquid was able to give to them. Lisa knew that she had to give credit to Rick for helping her recover emotionally as well as mentally and hoped that the experience he had meant that he had stronger feelings for her than she suspected.

Seeing that Lisa was starting to feel fatigued, Rick suggested that she retire and that they could talk tomorrow. Lisa was loath to let him go, she still craved that closeness with him but at least she better understood why. They agreed to meet for lunch the next day and Rick let her know that he would pick her up at her quarters the next day.

It did not take Lisa long for her to fall asleep and found herself dreaming of Rick once again. She tried to pay attention to the dream so she could remember it in the morning, but it seemed to go by so fast and Lisa soon found that it was morning already. Knowing that she would see Rick soon, she tried to remember everything that she could so she could tell him when she saw him.

In fact Lisa couldn't wait to tell him and as soon as he came to pick her up, she asked him in and told him all about her dream, and how he had been there. Excited that Lisa may finally be remembering through her dreams, Rick pulled her in for a big hug. It wasn't enough for Lisa though. She wanted to let Rick know how she felt about him and as he released her from his hug, Lisa wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him in and kissed him, conveying to him all the feelings she had for him.

At the touch of their lips, something magical happened and all the lost memories of their time together during Lisa's dream state came rushing back to her. Rick also felt the jolt and connection between them and happiness flowed through him as he also showed Lisa how much she meant to him as well.

They separated, breathless, unable to let the other one go.

"You remember?" Rick asked in a whisper.

"Everything, Rick, everything! Thank you so much, I wouldn't have made it back without you. I remember now, the liquid wasn't content for me to be physically well, they also wanted me to be happy Rick, and everytime you came, even though the memories were sad or uncomfortable, it could sense that I was happier when you were around."

"It's the same for me Lisa. It made me realize how much I had grown to care for you, to love you and I hope that we can make those feelings we had for another a reality."

Lisa's heart burst with happiness, she couldn't believe that all her dreams were coming true and promised herself to do her best and to make sure that Rick knew how much she cared and loved him too.

They stayed together that way as long as they could until hunger drove them to the dining hall in order to find something to eat, knowing that they had many memories to create with one another.

* * *

><p>Over the next few months, things progressed fairly quickly between Lisa and Rick and it was obvious to everyone how much in love they were with one another. They also found that they had an ability to sense the other one or at least when they were feeling strong emotions.<p>

Rick knew something was wrong when he felt some sadness from Lisa and quickly left the hangers to go and find her. Finding her waiting for him in her quarters, Lisa ran to him when he entered. Lisa informed him that due to the Zentraedi defectors on the ship and the findings that they were genetically indistinguishable from humans that she had to return to Earth to convey the news and also try and convince the UEG once again to let the citizens on the SDF-1 return to Earth and to also try and convince the UEG to strike a truce with the Zentraedi.

Lisa was torn, she knew she had to go and thought it was the best decision, but she didn't want to be away from Rick. Rick tried to convince her to go to the board and ask them to send someone else, but Lisa disagreed and said that it had to be her.

Seeing how strongly Lisa felt about the situation with the Zentraedi and knowing she wouldn't give up doing what she thought was best, Rick tried to console her by saying that it would only be a few days and that she would return soon.

Lisa broke down at that point and admitted that she didn't know if that would be the case at all. "I have a feeling Rick that once I'm down there, my father's going to do all he can to keep me there. I'll do my best to come back as soon as I can Rick, I'm going to miss you so much!"

Rick was devastated. He didn't think of that possibility and wondered if the Admiral could really do that. He remembered how ruthless he had been towards trying to keep Lisa from harm's way when she was younger. Could he still wield that much power?

"When you do have to leave?" he asked quietly, already dreading the answer.

Lisa hugged him tighter, "They want me to be ready to leave by 6am tomorrow. I don't know if I can do this Rick. To be away from you not knowing whether or not I will return or not."

Rick knew exactly how she felt but he didn't want to be the one to hold her back and he knew now that there were personal sacrifices that had to be made in a war such as this. Knowing that Lisa was struggling with going, he tried to be strong for her even though he was scared to death as well. Taking her by the shoulders, Rick looked into Lisa's sad green eyes.

"Lisa, as much as I hate to say it, you're right, you do need to do this. But we will be together again, whether it's a day or two from now, or months. I promise that I will find a way to get to you." Wiping the tears from her eyes, RIck lovingly kissed Lisa on the lips. Knowing that they had less than twelve hours together, they made the most of their time together until it was time to go.

Rick watched from the large bay windows as Lisa's shuttle left towards Earth. He had wanted to fly guard, but Capt. Gloval asked that Max and Roy do it instead. Rick was glad when they returned, reporting that the shuttle safetly landed at Alaska Base. Lisa was correct when she said that Admiral Hayes would not let Lisa return to the SDF-1. She argued with her father and explained why she needed to return and even told him about Rick, but Admiral Hayes was not swayed, even though he knew his decsion would continue to cause strife between him and his only child. It pained him, but he knew of no other way to keep her safe.

While she was reassigned to Alaska Base, Rick had approached Dr. Lang and Capt. Gloval to continue the testing of the Emerald Knight. As him and Lisa were the only ones that were capable of connecting to the Knight using the blue liquid, they agreed to his request much to Roy's chagrin. Rick knew of Lisa's concerns that the Grand Cannon and the SDF-1 would not be enough to hold back a full scale Zentraedi assault, and wanted to anything he could to keep those he loved safe.

And even though there was no communication allowed between the banished SDF-1 and Alaska Base, Rick and Lisa was comforted by the connection that they seem to have, something that distance did not seem to have any affect on. It was enough to keep hope for them alive that they would be together one again.

* * *

><p>The day that Dolza's fleet starting to fill up the space around Earth was a day that no one would forget. They would always remember where they were when the fleet showed up. Fear connected Rick and Lisa as they worried about one another and the fate of the world and as Dolza's Rain started to fall on Earth, Rick looked on in horror, wondering if Lisa was alright. Angry at the thought of losing her, Rick prepared for battle alongside Max and Roy in the newly renamed The Queen's Knight. The colors and emblem on the fighter remained the same, but now piloted by Rick.<p>

Rick flew like he never flew before, slashing and doging the Zentraedi as they sent everything after the Veritech's. Communication from the bridge gave the fighters hope as they cleared the path of the Grand Cannon, which successfully fired destroying millions of the Zentraedi warships. Minmei's song and performance, a weapon suggested by Exedore the ambassador sent by Breetai, also successfully caused confusion to the Zentraedi forces, allowing for the remaining fighters and Breetai's fighters to also take down the remainders of Dolza's fleet.

Rick had seen a second barrage of fire head towards Alaska Base after the Grand Cannon fired and knew that it was unlikely there would be any survivors, but Rick knew that he had to find out for himself Lisa's fate. Informing Roy of his intentions, Rick re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, trying to feel for Lisa. He wasn't sure why his senses were dulled but was hopeful when he felt Lisa's presence with him. He could tell that she was scared and was seaching for him as well. As they connected with one another he could feel a palpable change in her, her acknowlegement of his presence, helped to calm her.

As he flew towards Alaska Base, he was rewarded with receiving Lisa's distress call and risked diving into the now destroyed Grand Cannon to rescue the one he loved.

Cutting through the final door that blocked his way, Rick was rewarded when he jumped out the Knight to find Lisa running to him, tears flying from her eyes. Rick knew they didn't have much time to get out as the base was falling apart around them at an alarming rate, he quickly asked if she was okay before helping her into the Knight and fleeing the base before it collapsed on them.

Flying far enough away from Alaska Base, Rick finally halted the fighter and the two watched as the sun started to set. Unable to yet reach the SDF-1, the two reunited lovers didn't speak but just held one another communicating their joy and happiness at being together again, while also expressing concern for their friends on the SDF-1 and the people on Earth.

Lisa finally broke the silence, "Thank you Rick for rescuing me, I don't ever want to be away from you again."

Rick just smiled and held her tight, "I told you I would make it back to you and no matter what happens next, as long as you are by my side, we can face whatever comes."

Lisa just nodded her head in agreement, and gently kissed Rick on the lips.

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><p>The SDF-1 finally made it back to Earth and recovery efforts began. Even though Rick and Lisa were kept incredibly busy, the connection they shared helped to keep them in synch with one another.<p>

Exedore and Breetai, hearing about the connection Lisa and Rick had and the exposure to the blue liquid, mentioned to them that there was an old Zentraedi legend taken from the Robotech Masters about such an occurrance happening but that joinings such as these were extremely rare and only bestowed upon exceptional people who's destiny led them to great things.

Rick and Lisa didn't put much store in the fairytale, but everyone else knew that these two were destined for greatness.

~Finis

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><p>Author's Note: Thank you all for reading and the reviews! I very much appreciate the support. I would have liked to add additional battles scenes to keep the suspense of the Knight's identity a secret for longer, but I wasn't able anyone else wants to expand on this story, please feel free to do so.<p> 


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